When You Least Expect It
by a-little-blonde-epiclove
Summary: A series of Klaroline drabbles written by a-little-blonde-distraction and klarolineepiclove (Cover by Leah, approvesomuch)
1. Leave the Engine Running

_**When You Least Expect It:**_  
**Leave the Engine Running**

_Klaus works as a valet at the White Oak, a fancy hotel and restaurant, in New Orleans where he's lived pretty much his whole life. Every summer, like clockwork, Caroline, one of the most beautiful girls he's ever laid eyes on, comes down to vacation with her family in their house on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain. After some cajoling from his annoying younger brother, also a valet at WO, Klaus might actually summon up the courage to make a move._

(Written by: a-little-blonde-distraction)

* * *

"Bloody hell, Kol! You're a valet, not Mario Andretti!" Klaus growled as he stepped out of the Corvette and carefully but purposefully closed the sleek black door.

"Oh, come on, I was just having a bit of fun!" Kol replied, his voice whining as if to beg his older brother not to spoil his fun. "Besides, it's a Stingray, Nik! They haven't even come out yet!"

"I know you think you're living out your Ferris Bueller fantasy where you get to take the nice car out for a spin with no repercussions," Klaus started as he and Kol made their way back to the main entrance, "but let me clue you in: those guys didn't get in trouble because they were taking the car from teenagers that weren't supposed to have it in the first place. If Mr. Money-Bags knows that you're taking his 'not even out yet' pride and joy for a spin, you're not only going to get fired, but you won't be able to work as a valet in the whole of New Orleans, much less the French Quarter." Kol rolled his eyes but by the way he sighed, Klaus knew he'd gotten through to his kid brother.

"Whatever," Kol muttered, but an impish grin returned to his face and he waggled his eyebrows at Klaus, "I guess I'll just find a sweet ride less on the automotive side and more on the feminine side."

"You wanker," Klaus chuckled, shoving his brother playfully. "I hope you're wrapping it up, you man whore."

"Of course I am!" Kol replied quickly, placing a hand over his chest and reacting overdramatically like he was overly offended. "Can't be too careful with the richie riches, now can we?" Klaus merely chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"No, I supposed you can't...wait, whatever happened to that one girl? Your fangirl? Maria? Marissa?"

"Who? Scary Mary?" Kol replied, then scoffed. "Right, I kicked her to the curb ages ago...a little too clingy for my tastes. Thank god she went back to university though, I don't think I could've avoided her for much longer."

"Yeah well we're still a little off season, so you might have slimmer pickings, mate," Klaus said pensively as he looked around the empty entrance to The White Oak. Since it was off season, there weren't many people in town, either staying at the hotel or coming to eat at the restaurant or drink at the bar; i.e. not many cars to park.

"The seasons are changing, though, dearest brother," Kol said. "Who knows who'll show up. Maybe even your tasty little Barbie doll might decide to come down for vacation earlier this year."

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver," Klaus half growled and half murmured. Kol grinned cheekily at him and waved his hand at him dismissively before turning to walk inside.

"As you wish, I'm off to the loo," Kol said.

"More than ten minutes, and you'll have a grace period as I decide whether you're drowning yourself or stuffing your face and come to find you, brother." Klaus said warningly. Kol spun to face Klaus but kept walking backwards into the hotel as he brought his hand up to his forehead in a mock salute.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Head Valet, sir!" Kol said, jokingly conveying the strict military etiquette he felt from his older brother. If he'd been closer, Klaus would've smacked him, but Kol turned back around and kept walking. Klaus sighed and turned back to the valet station and made the proper notations about the Corvette in the book and as he put the book back, he spotted the familiar blue Ford Escape approaching.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus thought to himself. "It's off season, you shouldn't be here right now." However confused he was, seeing the blue car put a smile on Klaus's face. The car slowed to a stop in front of the valet station and Klaus's smile grew even wider as the blonde with the 1000 watt smile put the car into park.

"Well well well, look what the wind blew in," Klaus said as he opened her driver side door for her. His heart soaring as he heard her laugh at his greeting and as he saw her roll her eyes; somehow, it was in a more delightful way than when his brother rolled his eyes. He offered her his hand, as he always did.

"Nice to see you too, Klaus," Caroline replied, taking his hand without a second thought, even though her car wasn't so high up, nor did she need the help getting down. The knowledge of that fact made her taking his hand each time he offered mean so much more to Klaus. He opened up his mouth to say something else sarcastic in the hopes of making her laugh again, but he caught himself as two other people emerged from the car. He hadn't even noticed she had people with her he had been so focused on Caroline; but they weren't her mother and father, as he would've expected. Instead, she was accompanied by two girls that looked her age, one brunette with fair skin and long pin straight hair, and one with caramel colored skin and dark brown hair.

"Oh, you brought a party, did you?" he said lightly, not wanting to be rude to her guests but not wanting to take his attention off of her.

"Just my gal pals," Caroline said, motioning to the girls that were exiting the car and coming around to meet their friend. "This is Elena and Bonnie," she said, gesturing to each respective girl, "Bonnie, Elena, this is Klaus." Each girl murmured greetings to Klaus and sized him up (growing up with a younger sister, he became familiar with this ritual) and he nodded and smiled at each.

"Pleasure to meet you both. Are you ladies here for dinner or drinks?"

"Both, if we can help it!" Elena replied and the girls chuckled.

"We're on our beach week," Bonnie added to clarify and Klaus nodded.

"Lovely," he murmured politely and Caroline jumped in.

"Yeah, Bonnie's graduating from Whitmore College, right outside of our hometown in Virginia and Elena's graduating from University of Richmond."

"Well, congratulations to you both," Klaus said, then turned back to Caroline with a smile, "and I'm assuming that means that you're done at UVA as well?" She smiled and nodded at him.

"Yep, I'm all through, thank God," she replied, gazing back at him and the two shared a comfortable silence looking at each other until Elena and Bonnie's giggling brought them out of it. But before Klaus could say anything else, he heard the voice call from behind him.

"Klaus, guess what the chef's making tonight! You'll never guess-" Kol called, walking down from the entrance, but his words were halted as he took in the scene in front of him. "Hel-lo la-dies!" he said, enunciating each syllable and the girls giggled and Caroline scoffed with a smile and rolled her eyes.

"Hey Kol. Elena, Bonnie, this is Kol. Kol, Bonnie and Elena," she said, not bothering to be formal with her introductions. Klaus inwardly groaned, disbelieving his brother's impeccable timing.

"Lovely, now that you've all met, Kol, do you mind moving Caroline's car? I'm going to escort these ladies to the bar, thank you!" Klaus said, not waiting for a response before pushing his brother towards the car and gently steering the girls towards the entrance. Caroline walked a little faster, apparently catching onto Klaus's urgency and her friends fell into step behind her.

"Nicely played," Caroline remarked to Klaus and he chuckled.

"I'm sorry; Kol's harmless, he's just...Kol," he said, lacking a better word to describe his brother. Caroline's friends chuckled as Caroline laughed and rolled her eyes.

"That he is," she said and her friend Bonnie suddenly increased her strides in order to walk beside Klaus and Caroline.

"He seems kinda cute, kinda boyish ladies' man type if you ask me," she chimed in and both Klaus and Caroline laughed.

"Yeah, ladies' man, that's exactly what he fancies himself," Klaus said, rolling his eyes.

"I just hope he doesn't leave little strips of paper with his phone number in the little crevices of my car again. I seriously think I finally got rid of all of them. I've been finding them for months since my last visit," Caroline added and Elena and Bonnie chuckled at hearing about Kol's overzealous attempt at flirting.

"Trust me, he knows to behave, because he knows the wrath he'll face at home is worse than getting reprimanded at work, or from even getting fired," Klaus said assuredly. When he saw the confused looks on Caroline's friends' faces, he added, "He's my brother." Both girls reacted as if they were less confused and even Bonnie checked in.

"Oh, okay, I thought there was some family resemblance there," the girl nodded.

"Not much, thank God for him," Klaus said jokingly as they ascended the stairs.

"Please, he'd be lucky to have those curls and dimples," Caroline insisted and Klaus chuckled and blushed.

"Yeah, well, they're both a blessing and a curse," he said, then turned, gazing at her appreciatively, "but thank you." Caroline gazed back at him, and they only broke away from each other's eyes when Elena cleared her throat. They looked up and realized they were only a few steps away from the entrance to the restaurant.

"Well," Klaus started, sad to be parting from Caroline already, "I hope you ladies enjoy your evening." He couldn't help himself and he reached over and gently touched Caroline's forearm as he added, "I think Stefan's behind the bar tonight, he will let me know when to bring your car back around, love." Caroline gazed at him softly, a graceful and lovely smile slowly spreading on her face.

"Thank you, Klaus."

"My pleasure, Caroline," he smiled, then begrudgingly removed his hand and stepped back. He nodded at Bonnie and Elena with a smile then turned to leave, wishing he didn't have to go. He turned back only once, stopping at the top of the stairs to look back, and saw waiters holding the girls' chairs and helping them into their seats.

Caroline's back was to him, but he watched her golden curls gently swirl as she turned to her right to thank the waiter before turning back to the menu in front of her. He smiled to himself, just happy that she was here, and walked back down the stairs to the valet station. He was barely out the doors when Kol jumped him.

"You dog! You call me a wanker, but you pawn off parking Barbie's car so that you can escort her inside?! And before I even get a chance to get acquainted with one of her lady friends?!" Kol half whined, half chastised. "Nik, I'm your brother; you should be my wingman, not a cockblocker."

"First of all," Klaus started, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on already (one of Kol's super powers), "I'm your superior, and you're testing my patience with that tone, Kol." Kol held up his hands defensively as Klaus continued. "Second of all, her name is Caroline and she is a guest of the hotel; but even if she weren't, I'd still be telling you to treat her with respect."

"Yeah yeah yeah, respect for women, blah blah blah," Kol said dismissively, crossing and clapping his brother on the shoulder, his arm draping across his back. "So did you ask for her number yet?"

"I'm not getting her number for you, Kol," Klaus growled, removing his hand from his shoulder and crossing to the valet station.

"Not for me, you tosser!" Kol exclaimed, following Klaus. "For you, you big idiot! I know she's as hard up for you as you are for her."

"Please, Kol," Klaus scoffed, "like a girl like that would ever go for a 'tosser' like me."

"You don't know until you ask," Kol suddenly said sensibly, "and if you don't ask, that's what really makes you the tosser."

"Oh my god, he really couldn't take his eyes off of you!" Elena gushed as her blonde friend kept her face buried in her menu.

"Please, Elena," Caroline scoffed, "Klaus is just nice and friendly to everyone."

"And walks everyone inside to the restaurant?" Bonnie quipped and she and Elena soon saw the hint of pink on Caroline's cheeks just over the top of the menu.

"Well...I mean he knows me, and he was meeting you guys, and so he was just being..."

"Nice and friendly?" Elena and Bonnie asked in unison. Caroline glanced up at them before looking down at her menu quickly again.

"Whatever, you guys are nuts. Klaus doesn't like me like that."

"You're right," Elena started, casting her eyes down at her menu and keeping her tone casual, "why would the dimpled hottie with the panty melting accent like someone as beautiful and smart and kind as you."

"And his brother isn't too shabby either," Bonnie remarked, glancing at the drink menu. "Those are some good family genes if you ask me."

"Oh my god!" Caroline squealed, "I can't with either of you, right now. Klaus doesn't like me like that, and even if he did, I can't even begin to think about how I'd handle that because it's so hard to believe." She turned to Bonnie and added, "And if you want Kol, you can have him! And Godspeed to you on that endeavor."

"Oh come on, Care, he really can't be all that bad!" Bonnie exclaimed, "He's so cute, and so is Klaus. Mark my words, you're going to see, you're wrong."

"I agree with the clairvoyant," Elena nodded, "you're wrong and it's only a matter of time before you see what we see, Care."

"I'm not nearly drunk enough for this," Caroline muttered and as if she'd conjured him, their waiter appeared. Before he could even start, she said, "Tell Stefan we'll take three Pink Musketeers, and a basket of your brioche, please. Thank you." The waiter nodded and jotted down on his pad before leaving, and Elena and Bonnie gazed at Caroline, knowingly and amusedly.

"So, come here often?" Elena asked, and with that, the tension was broken and all three girls devolved into a fit of giggles.

"Mmm, Jennifer Lawrence...I wouldn't mind Katniss tending to my wounds, if you know what I mean," Kol said, flipping through an old Esquire magazine and gazing at the pictures.

"Kol, adding 'if you know what I mean' doesn't automatically make whatever precedes it a sexual innuendo."

"Of course it does! Just like adding 'in bed' to the end of your fortune of your fortune cookie!" Kol insisted. Klaus was ready to quash that sentiment as well but then his phone trilled and he quickly snatched it out of the pocket of his vest.

"Text from your boyfriend?" Kol asked, peering up from his magazine.

"Grow up, Kol."

"I will, once I see Stefan kiss a girl. Then I will know for sure that you two aren't bedfellows."

"You're such an ass."

"It's one of my more charming qualities."

Klaus rolled his eyes and glanced at the text again one last time.

_They just finished their last round and Adrian's bringing them their check._

He opened a text message and quickly typed a message back as he walked to the station to get Caroline's key.

_Thanks mate. I'll go bring her car around._

He slipped his phone back into his vest pocket and reached into the cabinet to retrieve the key to Caroline's Ford Escape, but frowned when he saw the slot that should be holding it empty.

"Looking for this?" he heard and when he turned, Kol was still sitting casually with the magazine in his one hand and holding up Caroline's key with the other.

"Give it here, Kol. I have to go and get Caroline's car," Klaus said firmly, crossing to grab the key, but Kol snatched it away, still not looking up from his magazine.

"Ask for Caroline's phone number and I will," Kol said simply.

"What?!" Klaus exclaimed. "Kol don't be an ass, give me the damn key."

"Good lord, Nik, it's not like I'm asking you to get the Krabby Patty Secret Formula!" Kol said exasperatedly, as if he were talking to a child. "All you have to do is say, 'Caroline, may I have your phone number?' and trust me, your accent will do half the work for you."

"My relationship with Caroline is none of your business, Kol," Klaus growled before raising his voice and holding out his hand. "Now give me the damn key!"

"Listen to yourself," Kol continued, still not bothering to look up from his magazine, "your 'relationship with Caroline'...stop kidding yourself, Niklaus: you're her valet and you're going to remain her valet unless you do something about it. And that starts with getting her phone number." Kol finished his speech and held up the key again before adding, "So? Do we have a deal?"

Klaus gazed at his brother and then at the key, letting Kol's words turn over in his head. He hated to admit it, but Kol was right, and he was wary to let Kol know of that. Even though he said they had a relationship, they really didn't. Caroline was only ever in New Orleans during her time off from school when the hotel was in season, and they only had the briefest of casual moments together that were never enough for Klaus. He could never have enough of her; she was like sunlight that warmed his skin and lifted his spirits.

But she was done with school now; sure she'd have to go back for graduation, but she'd no doubt return for the summer, and then who knows? Maybe she'd find some job here in New Orleans, and he could see more of her. Maybe Kol had unwittingly picked the right moment to cajole him into getting Caroline's digits. But again, he'd never let Kol know that.

"You're such a child," he muttered as he finally snatched the key out of Kol's outstretched hand and huffed away to where Caroline's car was parked.

"Another of my more charming qualities," Kol replied, his gaze still fixated on the actress on the magazine pages. Klaus got into Caroline's car and sat for a moment. It smelled of perfume and sunscreen, but it majorly smelled like her: the loveliest combination of fruits, florals, and musk. It made him smile immediately and he had his resolve.

He would ask Caroline for her phone number. He would ask her for her phone number and she would give it to him and they would go on a date and everything would be amazing. He took another deep breath of her scent in as he turned the key in the ignition and slowly brought the car around to the front.

Once he'd put the car in park, he left the engine running and exited the car, leaving the door open behind him. Just when he came around the back of the Ford, he smiled as he saw the three girls approaching the hotel doors. Caroline looked up and caught his eye and he smiled even wider, and as she came closer, a flurry of images filled his mind. He saw them walking along the bay hand in hand and playing mini golf and picnicking under the stars as he steals a kiss, caressing her skin gently as her fingers bury themselves in his hair.

Yes, he'd do it; he'd ask her for her phone number and he'd get to know her and be with her and he wouldn't just be a casual acquaintance, some guy that parks her car at one of her favorite restaurant.

"How was dinner? I hope Stefan's cocktails were good tonight," Klaus said amicably once they were closer.

"They were so yummy," Elena gushed then began to giggle hysterically, "almost as yummy as he was...he is a HOT-TIE with a capital HOOOOT." Caroline glanced at Klaus and was relieved that he was chuckling at her tipsy friend's alcohol induced frankness.

"I'll be sure to tell him you think so," he chuckled as Bonnie led Elena to her side of the car, electing to have her slide in from her side versus stumbling around to the other side.

"Please do! If he wants my number, it's 4-3-4-3-5-3-6..."

"Yeah, how about you call the restaurant tomorrow to get his number, hmm? How about that? Okay? Okay good," Bonnie cut Elena off, both to stop her from embarrassing herself and to get her in the car faster, as she ushered her friend into the car, closing the door behind both of them.

"Well they seem like a barrel of fun," Klaus chuckled and Caroline laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well I can't complain, Elena's pretty up front with all her drama. Bonnie's is a little more manageable, but boy you should see her when she's plastered. At my Sweet 16, she was so far gone, she got in a fight with a girl at our school and was 'casting a spell on her.'"

The two chuckled as they came around to her driver door. Klaus's hand went to her door handle to close the door behind her, but he caught a glimpse of Kol out of the corner of his eye. He was standing on the other side of the car and Klaus could see him gesturing as if he were dialing on a phone and placing his imaginary phone to his ear and pointing at Caroline simultaneously. He looked away from his obnoxious younger brother and took a deep breath.

"_Okay, here goes nothing!_" he thought to himself.

"Well," Caroline found herself fidgeting as she gazed up into Klaus's blue green eyes, not wanting to say goodnight. "It was nice to see you again, Klaus..." She turned to climb into the driver's seat, but his voice stopped her.

"Actually, Caroline," he said, and she turned to look at him and he gazed into her eyes. He suddenly seemed much more at ease as he put his hand over the top of her car door and casually leaned against it. "I was hoping I could get your phone number...and that I could take you out sometime, if you're in town and not too busy." Caroline froze as she gazed back at Klaus.

"_Goddammit_," she thought to herself. "_Goddammit! They were right! He likes me! Jesus Christ, he likes me and they were right and they're right there in the car probably listening and oh dear God, I can't... Sweet Jesus, look at his face. Oh God, those eyes, and that smile. I can't..._"

"Uhh...uh..." was all Caroline could manage out and Klaus gazed back into her eyes expectantly. She saw a small dimpled smiled playing on the corners of his lips and it made her stomach do flip flops, but she found herself smiling. Everything he said and did made her body react that way: remembering she goes to UVA, walking them inside, having Stefan let him know when to bring the car around. Thinking about all of their previous interactions and gazing back at him now made it really easy for Caroline to answer him.

"Sure. I mean yes, of course. I'd like that very much."

They smiled at each other for a few moments before she cleared her voice and she casually reached over and took the pen that was in his left front breast pocket and took his hand and with a click of the pen, scribbled her phone number on the palm of his hand. She was sure he could hear her heart thumping in her chest, and she got a tiny thrill out of her ballsy move, taking his pen and lightly grazing his vest with her fingers as she did and holding his hand in hers as she inked his skin with her phone number. She took a short breath of air and blew gently on his hand to make sure the ink was dry and wouldn't smudge then clicked the pen and placed it back in his vest pocket.

She looked up at him and saw him gazing amazedly at his palm and she smiled and finally cleared his throat to get his attention again.

"Uh, great! I'll, uh, give you a ring, I mean a call...or I can text you, whichever you prefer," he said, stumbling over his words, his easy confidence gone again, but Caroline found his honest nervousness just as attractive as his smooth talking.

"Either is fine. Feel free to text me or call me anytime," she said lightly, smiling as his smile grew, "I'm in town until Thursday and then I'll be back on Tuesday for the summer."

"Fantastic. Maybe we can catch up before you leave?" he suggested and she nodded and smiled.

"Sure! I'll let you know what we're doing and we can try and work something out," she said gesturing to her friends back in the car and he nodded understandingly. "Great," she added then awkwardly turned to get in the car but quickly back to him, "so, goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Caroline," he said, waiting until she was in the car to close the door behind her securely. They smiled at each other through the window and he gave her a small wave goodbye, his palm displaying his new temporary tattoo and she smiled even wider, knowing that soon, he'd be texting her or calling her, and she'd get to see him again. She smiled and gave him a little wave too, then took off, peeling out of the parking lot.

"WHAT DID HE SAY?! WHAT DID KLAUS SAY TO YOU?! DID HE ASK YOU OUT?! DID YOU GET HIS PHONE NUMBER?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Elena started shrieking from the back seat.

"Calm down, Elena, dear God..." Bonnie groaned.

"I can't, I can't comment just yet, oh my God, I can't," Caroline said, gripping the steering wheel and staring straight ahead, her stomach in knots and her heart racing.

"Wait, seriously, did he seriously give you his number?" Bonnie asked, realizing that Caroline was legitimately reacting to something and that Elena might not be too far off.

"No..." Caroline said cryptically.

"DID YOU GIVE HIM YOURS?! OH MY GOD, I HOPE YOU GAVE HIM YOURS THEN!" Elena shrieked.

"Caroline?" Bonnie asked softly, and she was met with silence until Caroline finally burst.

"Okay, I gave him my number!" Both of her friends in the backseat started squealing shrilly and Caroline was grateful for the empty road as her friends' screaming caused her to let go of the wheel for a moment to cover her ears.

"You're welcome," Kol said, as Klaus walked back to the valet station.

"Shut up," Klaus muttered, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone and put Caroline's number in it before he sweated it off his palm. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered her holding his hand gently then her cool breath drying the ink. Every synapse was firing in that moment, and even though it was the most innocent of caresses, it felt so unbelievably intimate.

He couldn't wait to see her again, and once the contact was saved in his phone, the text was open. Suddenly his phone was out of his hands though, and he looked up swore he'd strangle him with his bare hands.

"KOL! Give me my phone back, RIGHT NOW!" he bellowed and began wrestling Kol in a vain attempt to get his phone back.

"My my my, a new text open and addressed to Caroline, what a surprise," Kol said, fending off Klaus while he looked at the phone, "oh wait; it isn't a surprise."

"GIVE ME MY PHONE, KOL!" Klaus yelled, not caring that he was making a scene outside of his job, which was pretty much deserted, as he continued to wrestle his younger brother.

"Dearest brother, you need to play it cool if you want to reel in the big fish! You can't text her 40 seconds after she's given you her phone number! You have to wait 24 hours at least!"

"KOL, I SWEAR I WILL SET YOU ON FIRE IF YOU DO NOT HAND OVER MY PHONE RIGHT NOW!"

"Fine! Touchy!" Kol said, finally relinquishing the phone, which Klaus snatched away before promptly hitting Kol on the back of the head. "OW!" Kol yelped before shoving his brother away. "You know what!? I don't have to take this! If you want to look like some bloody lovesick fool, then go ahead! Text her! I dare you!" Kol huffed away, grabbing his magazine and continuing for the doors. "I'll be at the bar if you need me, and if you have a problem with that, frankly I don't give a flying fart in space."

Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair as he watched Kol retreat inside, and glanced back down at his phone. Maybe Kol was right; maybe he shouldn't text her too soon at the risk of seeming too eager. Kol had been right before, and now Klaus had Caroline's phone number. He could wait 24 hours to text her.

It was the mantra that he repeated to himself as he took the seat that Kol left. But as he sat there, his phone suddenly felt like it weighed 20 pounds now that it had Caroline's number in it. He gazed down at his hand, the ink from the pen already starting to fade after his skirmish with Kol. He traced the numbers with his fingertips and he suddenly understood how Orpheus turned and looked at Eurydice.

This was going to be the longest 24 hours of his life.

"Oh my god, Caroline! It hasn't even been 24 hours! Would you please put your phone down?!" Bonnie exclaimed, peering over her sunglasses at her friend. Caroline groaned and flopped back against her chair and put her pink polka dotted phone down on the small table next to her.

"Sweet god, you two are so loud!" Elena moaned, pulling the wide brim of her hat closer down and pushing her sunglasses up further to block out the sun better. "Why?! Why must you be so loud?!"

"Which is worse," Caroline asked, "being hungover poolside or being hung up on a guy poolside?" There was a slight pause before all three girls said in unison, "Hungover."

"Yes, yes, and I brought this on myself, I know!" Elena groaned and threw her arm over her face dramatically. "Just please, for the love of carbs, keep your effing voices down!"

"Drama queen," Bonnie muttered, flipping to the next page in her Cosmo.

"I mean, even if I wanted to text him, I couldn't," Caroline said, "because I gave him my number, but he never gave me his!"

"And then you'd seem even clingier and more over eager than you do right now," Bonnie said knowingly. "He has a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 36..."

"Three days!? He wouldn't make me wait that long, would he?" Caroline exclaimed. "It's only been 16 hours and I'm losing my mind!" Bonnie glanced over and gave Caroline a hard stare, and the blonde quickly tried to act casual. "Not that I'm counting or anything."

Suddenly Caroline's phone trilled and Caroline practically fell out of her chair trying to grab it. However, her caramel skinned friend in a neon green and aqua polka dot bikini snatched it first.

"Well congratulations, he's officially the over eager one!" Bonnie said nonchalantly, moving to unlock Caroline's phone.

"BONNIE! GIVE ME MY PHONE!" Caroline squealed, attempting to snatch it back from her friend, but Bonnie was too quick for her.

"Let's see, the four digit abbreviation for Miss Mystic would probs be 'M-S-M-F' so that's a 6-7-6-4..."

"I'M SERIOUS, BONNIE, GIVE ME MY EFFING CELL PHONE BACK!" Caroline hissed, crossing to Bonnie's chair and trying her best to get her phone back.

"Easy, Caroline, you're making a scene!" Bonnie warned lightly.

"And you're hurting your chances of me asking Klaus for Kol's number."

"Bitch," Bonnie muttered quietly, handing over the phone. Caroline straightened up triumphantly, adjusting her teal bikini top and unlocking her phone to read the text.

"What did he say?" Elena asked curiously, lifting her arm up to peer over at Caroline, "It was him, right?"

"'Afternoon, love. This is Klaus, just so you have my number. I hope you're enjoying the day with your friends,'" Caroline read Klaus's text aloud, and she promptly giggled as she began her reply.

"That was a pretty standard text to warrant a giggle," Bonnie said, turning back to her magazine.

"No, he put a winky face at the end, and it made me giggle," Caroline smiled as her fingers danced across the phone's keyboard.

"A winky face? Isn't that a little..." Elena started.

"Sissy for a guy?" Bonnie interjected.

"No! It's cute!" Caroline said defensively. "And it's not like he asked for my number as a part of some big, elaborate scheme to get a beard..."

"Well..."

"No one asked you, Bonnie!"

"Fine! You don't want my opinion, I'll plug in then!" Bonnie replied in a huff, grabbing her own phone, plugging in her headphones and putting the earbuds in and flipping onto her stomach and facing away from the others.

"And she calls me the drama queen," Elena muttered, putting her arm back over her face. Caroline ignored the two and hit send and took a deep breath.

"_I need a drink_," she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry, can I have another Deep Blue Sea?" Caroline asked a passing server.

"_God, why on Earth did I put that damn winky face. Damn, I need a drink,_" Klaus thought to himself, staring at the text he just sent on his phone. He wished there was an undo button for him to get the text back and get rid of that damn winky face. She probably thought he was childish or being creepy.

Kol would already give him shit if he knew that he had texted Caroline before the 24 hour mark was up. He'd lose it if he knew he texted 'Barbie' a winky face. He could practically hear Kol sneer, "What are you, a thirteen year old girl?!" But before he could worry more, his phone beeped and he saw she had texted him back. He nervously opened the text, but smiled once he read what she'd sent back.

_Hi Klaus! I'm so glad you texted me, I was starting to get antsy. We're having a great day, thanks. Just hanging around and relaxing. ;) ;)_

He smiled and quickly replied back.

_Sounds nice. Lounging around the house or out and about?_

It took only a minute, but Caroline's text came through quickly.

_At the pool. We decided to get some sun. ;)_

Klaus gulped, the thought of Caroline in some little excuse for a bikini invading his mind and driving him mad. He tried to get a hold of himself, and he calmly replied back.

_Sounds like fun. Wish I could be relaxing poolside. I'm still at work._

_That sucks! When do you get off?_

_In 45 minutes._

_That's not too bad! You'll be relaxing soon enough! ;)_

Klaus read her text again and again, wondering if he should ask or not, before finally deciding to throw caution to the wind. That seemed to be the best method of approaching a relationship with the blonde.

_I know you're hanging with your friends, but I'd love to see you before you leave._

He started to worry that he'd been too forward when she didn't reply as quickly as she did before, but after a few minutes his phone trilled again.

Caroline read over Klaus's last text a few times before sighing. She didn't know what to say; well she knew what she wanted to _say_, but she didn't know what she should actually _do_. She glanced over at Elena, who even though she was hungover and complaining about her head, had apparently managed to fall asleep on her lounge chair. She sighed as she realized that she was left with only one other option; and unfortunately, that one other option was ignoring her.

She reached over and plucked the quarter of an orange slice that was garnishing her cocktail off the glass and, without hesitating, chucked it at Bonnie. She was lying on her stomach now, flipping through her magazine while her head bobbed along to the music that was playing in her ears, and the orange landed square in the middle of her shoulder. She froze and slowly glanced down at the offending piece of fruit. She took out the ear bud closest to her blonde friend with impeccable aim and peered at her over her retro sunglasses.

"Did you just throw an orange slice at me?"

"It's Vitamin C, it's good for you."

Bonnie scoffed at her friend, but obligingly took her last earbud out.

"Okay, I'm listening, Anita Bryant. What's your ish?"

"So, Klaus has asked me out, and I don't know what to say."

"Yes. Next problem."

"No, I mean, you and Elena are here, it's supposed to be our 'Beach Week.' I don't want to ditch you guys."

"Caroline, we're big girls, we don't need you to babysit us. We're just going to relax poolside, so you can go see your hot slice of manmeat. Next problem," she repeated. Caroline smiled at her friend then considered her advice before burying her face in her hands. She hid for a moment, but then suddenly exploded out of her hands.

"WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!"

"Noise! Stop that!" Elena muttered.

"French Connection striped sundress and sandals. Next," Bonnie said. She smiled at her blonde friend knowingly, and Caroline took the hint.

"Okay, I'm going to go and get ready, I'll call a car to come and pick you guys up!"

"We're fine! Get out, crazy!" Bonnie said with a smirk, turning back to her magazine. "Give Klaus my regards."

Caroline quickly gathered her stuff back into her tote and quickly typed back.

_Wanna get drinks? I'll be ready by the time you get off of work. Just pick the time and place. ;)_

Klaus stepped out onto Royal Street from his cab, handed the cabbie some cash and made his way down the street. The cabbie hadn't been too far off from his destination, and he was hoping he'd get there before Caroline. He'd been so glad he had a change of clothes in his work locker and changed out of his work dress pants, button down and vest and put on a more comfortable pair of jeans, a black henley, and his leather jacket.

As he approached the doors, a girl stationed outside with postcard sized flyers greeted him.

"Welcome back to The Sun and Moon, Klaus."

"Good to see you, Sophie," he replied, "as always." He gave the small brunette a tiny smile and nod and continued into the bar. He glanced around and once he was sure he didn't see Caroline anywhere, he made his way to the bar and took a seat and was greeted by a different blonde.

"Long time, no see, Mikaelson," she smirked as she wiped the counter down with a rag.

"You know I couldn't stay away for long, Cami," he replied casually right back.

"What brings you here? You flying solo tonight?"

"Actually, I have a date, I'm just waiting for her to-" Klaus started to say, but he began glancing around and he saw the woman in question and was struck speechless. She looked absolutely stunning.

She had her hair down and straightened from it's usual curly or wavy style, and it framed her face and rested against the sun kissed skin of her shoulders, which were bare. She was positively glowing. She wore a red and white striped dress, held up with halter top strings and her white accessories, a few beaded bracelets and sandals with woven ropes, made her skin look even more tan. She was looking around and when her gaze finally met his, a smile slowly spread on her face.

"So... I'm guessing that's her?" Cami said sarcastically, but Klaus just stood and slowly crossed to meet the blonde that captivated him. They met halfway and stood for a moment gazing at each other, smiles on both of their faces, before Klaus finally spoke.

"Good evening," he said, and he couldn't help the excited grin that spread on his face.

"Evening," Caroline replied with a smile.

He decided to be daring and kiss her cheek to greet her, and he leaned in, his hand lightly resting on her arm. There was a moment of slight awkwardness as he neared her and her gaze flitted around his face, and he wondered if she wanted him to actually kiss her. But he told himself that was too presumptuous and tilted his head and lightly kissed her cheek, and once their faces were close, he felt her return the polite gesture on his own cheek as he did. He pulled away and cleared his throat.

"Well then, are you hungry? Or would you like to take a seat at the bar?"

"The bar is fine!" she nodded and smiled when he held out his hand, asking her to go ahead of him. He held her chair for her and held her hand to help her into the tall bar chair, and he reveled in the warmth that radiated throughout his body as their hands touched. As she took her seat, Cami made her way back to them, a friendly smile on her face.

"Hi, how are you doing?"

"Great, thank you," Caroline replied.

"Caroline, this is Cami, my mate Marcel's girl. Cami, this is Caroline Forbes," Klaus said, introducing the two.

"I usually prefer 'Cami the Psych student' over 'Cami, Marcel's girl,' or anybody's girl for that matter," the blonde bartender said with a smile even though she wrinkled her nose.

"Well it's nice to meet you, 'Cami the Psych student,'" Caroline said with a light laugh and Cami smiled at her.

"Likewise, Caroline. Can I get you two anything to drink?"

"Whatever the lady wants," Klaus said, looking at Caroline warmly.

"Uh, I don't know, something sweet?" Caroline said, shrugging, and Cami nodded and turned to Klaus.

"And the usual? A double on the rocks?"

"Perfect. Thanks, love."

"Coming right up," Cami tossed the rag to the side and crossed to the other side of the bar to begin preparing their drinks. Both Caroline and Klaus took a breath as silence settled between them. They nervously glanced back and forth at each other.

Caroline looked down at her wrist and started fiddling with her bracelets, unsure of what to do or say next.

"You look beautiful." She brought her head up to see Klaus gazing at her with some heavy emotion, not unlike how he looked at her yesterday when he'd asked for her phone number. It was like he was admiring a great painting or piece of art, and it sent a shiver up her spine and put her stomach in knots.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself, handsome," she replied, trying to sound as flirty as she could without sounding too force. He gave her a dimpled smile, but didn't reply and they fell back into silence.

"So," she started again, wanting to break the silence, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about you?" Caroline laughed and looked away.

"I'm nothing special."

"I beg to differ," Klaus said, "You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light. I enjoy you, very much so, Caroline. I was more than prepared for you to shoot me down or...oh what does Kol call it? 'Friendzone' me?" He smiled again hearing Caroline's bright laughter.

"Yeah well, I thought that's where we were, and I thought that's where you were contented to stay with me, but I guess I was wrong, wasn't I?" Caroline laughed.

"Dead wrong," Klaus chuckled, "but I'm glad you were wrong..."

"Yeah, I bet you are," Caroline muttered, failing to hide her smile as she took a sip of the drink Cami placed in front of her silently before leaving them to their conversation. She looked over at Klaus and smiled as she saw him hold up his glass to her.

"To taking chances," he said softly, "because if I hadn't taken a chance on you and you hadn't taken a chance on me, we wouldn't be here..." She gazed at him, seeing the utter happiness and gratefulness in his face and in his eyes, and she took her glass and raised it to his.

"To taking chances," she replied, clinking her glass with his, and they both took sips of their drinks.

"Stop it, you were not a beauty queen!" Klaus laughed uproariously.

"I was! I was Miss Mystic Falls!" Caroline laughed with him, but after a while added, "What?! Are you saying I'm not beautiful enough to be a beauty queen?"

"No, it's just...beauty pageants are so..."

"Vapid? Fake? Annoying?"

"Something like that," he kept chuckling. Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes then took a sip of her third or fourth drink, she was losing track. He kept laughing, as if he couldn't stop, and she stared at him incredulously.

"It's not that funny!" she said, suddenly half defensive and half angry.

"I know..." he chuckled. But when he saw her face, he tried his best to swallow his laughter and sound like he was serious, "I know."

"Then stop laughing!" Caroline whined and Klaus held up his hand and pressed his lips together tightly, as if to contain his laughter. Caroline sighed and threw back the rest of her drink.

"Look, I know beauty pageants are trite and ridiculous, but you know what? It and all my other neurotic, control freak extracurricular activities, like being Chair of the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee and the Director of the Policeman's Yearly Raffle and Cheer Captain and heading up three different prom committees, are what got me into UVA. So I don't regret any of it," she said purposefully. She took a breath and felt it catch in her throat as she glanced over and saw Klaus had brought his hand to rest over hers on the bar.

"I know," he said softly, "I didn't mean to belittle your accomplishments with my laughter, Caroline. I really fancy you." Caroline's eyes snapped up to his in surprise and he pursed his lips at her reaction. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Caroline gazed at him, incredulously and longingly. Was he joking? He was a handsome, rugged, charming, and dimpled and dashing guy with an accent that scrambled her brain while it got her panties in a twist. He could have any girl he wanted, yet he'd asked her out.

"Yes!" Caroline finally confessed.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Caroline started, looking back down at the bar, "I would've thought you'd be into the leggy, long flowing brown hair, big doe eyes and pouty Angelina Jolie lips...that type." Her gaze went back to his as Klaus exploded into laughter at her description.

"Well then you have a lot to learn about me, Caroline," he said, leaning in so that his lips were inches from her ear, and breathing, "I much prefer blondes." A shiver ran up Caroline's spine and she turned her head and gazed into his eyes. Their faces were less than an inch apart and they searched each others eyes.

"Which is obviously why I'm his favorite bartender," Cami said, approaching them, and Caroline and Klaus chuckled and separated. She glanced between the two of them, a smile playing on the corners of her lips, and leaned against the bar with her arms crossed. "So am I'm splitting the tab up? Or..."

"I've got it," Klaus said, taking his credit card out of his wallet and sliding it over to Cami. She nodded with a small smile, and took the card over to the computer screen at the other side of the bar.

"No! Please let me pay for mine," Caroline started to protest, reaching for her wallet in her purse. Klaus's hand gently caught her wrist and she looked up at him and he gazed back at her kindly.

"It's my pleasure," he said, placing his free hand over his heart. Caroline gazed back into his eyes, searching for some sort of hidden agenda, some sort of ulterior motive for him being so nice and chivalrous and having an interest in her.

"Well, thank you," she said, and Klaus smiled at her. Cami returned with Klaus's card, a receipt and a pen, and soon Klaus and Caroline were walking out The Sun and Moon's doors. It wasn't until Sophie said goodbye and closed the doors behind them that Caroline or Klaus realized that they'd been the last two left in the bar. Caroline glanced at her phone, and groaned lightly when she realized how much time had passed, and she glanced around and saw the evidence of it by the beautiful dusky colors in the sky.

"I should probably get going," Caroline said, "I need to check in on the girls and see what we're doing for dinner."

"Here, let me get you a cab," Klaus said, stepping towards the curb with his arm raised.

"Oh no no no, that's fine! I drove here," Caroline said.

"Really?" Klaus said, looking around and not seeing her car within walking distance. "Where did you park?"

"Well the street was filled with a bunch of tourons, so I parked in an alley up the way a bit," she said, gesturing up the street and away from the bar. Klaus frowned, looking in the direction Caroline had pointed to and not liking how sketchy it felt with the people he saw hanging around and the last of the daylight slowly bleeding out of the sky.

"I'll walk with you," he said.

"I'm okay, Klaus," she said, "I'm not girly, little Caroline anymore. I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can. Just give a paranoid, alpha-male loner some piece of mind." She chuckled at his self-characterization and rolled her eyes. "Come on," he insisted, slipping off his leather jacket and placing it around her shoulders before holding out his hand to her. "I won't bite." She gazed at him for a moment, touched by his considerate gestures, then slowly slid her hand into his and they walked casually hand in hand in the direction of her car.

A part of her knew that it was a show of force to anyone that she was with him and that they shouldn't mess with her, but the other part of her was screaming inside, flailing and freaking out that she was touching his big, rough hand again. Despite it surpassing the size of hers and being courser, it gently held hers in his and she was once again amazed by the dichotomy of Klaus: hard and soft; masculine and sensitive; dark and light.

Soon they turned and were in the alley that her blue Escape was parked in, and Caroline smiled sadly as she heard Klaus sigh as she felt like sighing.

"Well, this is me," Caroline said lamely.

"Yes, it would seem that this is indeed your blue Ford Escape," Klaus said with a nod. Caroline scoffed at his sarcasm, but smiled at him.

"Thank you for inviting me, Klaus," she said softly, "I had a really nice time."

"As did I," he nodded, smiling at her. They gazed at each other for God knows how long, before the darkening air finally reminded Caroline of why she was leaving.

"Well, text me and maybe we can see each other again before I leave," she said, slipping his jacket off of her shoulders and handing it back to him.

"Okay," Klaus said. The electrically charged silence fell between them again , and not knowing what else to do, Caroline stuck out her hand.

"Goodnight, then."

"Wow, formal handshake," Klaus said although he took her hand and shook it gently, "that's great."

"Yeah," Caroline said, suddenly feeling like a prime idiot and feeling her cheeks getting flushed.

"I'm going to kiss you again, is that alright, Caroline?" Klaus said, his eyes boring into hers and Caroline felt her heart flutter as the word 'kiss' fell from his lips.

"Yes, that's...fine," she said, her eyes on his lips. Instead of meeting hers as she had expected, though, they went to her cheek again and when they were cheek to cheek, they kissed each other's cheeks like they did in the bar. He pulled away and gazed at her, but he must have seen the surprise or disappointment Caroline knew was etched on her face, because he cautiously leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips as his met hers, and his hand released hers in favor of holding her waist as their kiss deepened and became less chaste and more passion-filled. Her hands rested on his shoulders, but eventually buried themselves in his hair as her arms wrapped around his neck. One of his hands wrapped around her upper back and pulled them closer together while the other dropped his leather jacket and boldly slid down her body, caressing her ass before making its way back up her side, his hand dragging the edge of her dress up a bit as it made its way back to her waist.

The feeling of his hands caressing her body made a wanton groan slip past her lips as Klaus continued to ravage her mouth. His fingers dug into her waist, bunching up the fabric of her light cotton dress, and Caroline mentally cursed the fabric for keeping his hands off her skin. Soon he was pressing her to the front of the car, and Caroline moaned in delight, feeling his hard figure pressing up against her softer one. But as sinfully good as it felt to have him kiss her and touch her like this, she knew her friends were waiting.

"Okay," she breathed, barely breaking her mouth away from his long enough to get actual words out. "This is me...getting in...my car..." Although she said the words, her body wasn't catching up with her brain and reflecting her words as she clung to Klaus, pulling at his henley while her lips continued to battle his with no sign of letting up.

"And this is me," Klaus breathed, "waving goodbye..." as he firmly grasped her hips with both hands, and suddenly lifted her up and placed her so that she was sitting on the hood of the car. Caroline gasped at his sudden and forceful act, but it only turned her on more, knowing he had to have her, right here, right now and he was strong enough to take charge and have her way with him. The car was at the perfect height for Caroline to rest just slightly above him and Klaus settled comfortably between her legs.

Her dress hitched up around her legs due to the sheer position that they were in, and Klaus took advantage of it and slid his hands along her legs as their mouths continued to dance. She held his face with both hands or entwined his curls with her fingers and she moaned as she felt his hands push her skirt up far enough to run his hands up the sides of her legs and over the sides of her panties.

"Klaus," she breathed, but he didn't take it as the call for him to stop as he'd intended. "Klaus, someone...might see..."

"Let them look," he growled, claiming her mouth again and silencing her quickly. She gasped, feeling his fingers hook around the edge of her panties, and her gasp gave him the opportunity to break away from her mouth and he trailed hot, open mouthed kisses down her jaw and neck, then down her chest. He kissed the tops of her breasts at the edge of her neckline but soon came back to her lips and kissed her senseless as she felt his hands untie the strings of her halter top at the back of her neck.

Once they were undone, he retraced his trail down her jaw and neck and across her chest before gently tugging down her dress to reveal her white lacy strapless bra. He growled at the sight of her lingerie and plunged back down at her chest, kissing and licking and biting at her skin as he bent over her and his hands explored her curves over the lace.

"You're ethereally beautiful," he murmured, his hands gently taking a breast in each palm as he kissed her skin. "A sun kissed angel with golden silky hair and eyes as deep blue as the sea after a storm." He gently pulled at the top of her bra and lavished each breast with his tongue, somehow managing to say, "Your body glorious and natural as it is maddeningly enticing, and if I could, I would never take my hands or lips off of your skin."

"Then don't!" Caroline called, his words driving her as mad as his lips and hands were. If he never wanted to take them off of her, and she never wanted him to take them off her, who was she to stop him? At that moment, a nuclear holocaust couldn't stop Caroline from wanting Klaus right here and right now.

Her forceful command made him growl and soon he was kissing her vigorously again and pushing her back onto the hood of the car so that she was lying on her back. Once she was, he tore his lips away from hers and pushed her skirt up around her hips, revealing her matching white lace panties, that he quickly slid down her legs and over her sandals. The fell somewhere, forgotten like his leather jacket, and his lips barely trailed up the insides of her thighs before his mouth was on her and ravaging her sweet flesh as it had ravaged her mouth.

Caroline moaned and let her head fall back against the hood of the car, practically resting against the windshield with how far Klaus had pushed her up on the car. Her feet came up and rested on the front bumper and Klaus's hands snaked their way around to grab her ass as he held her in place. She didn't know which was more frightening: how much she felt for Klaus or the fact that anyone could walk past and see them in this compromising position at any moment. Both turned her on to no end, though, and she decided to live without fear and go along for the ride and soon her legs were trembling, her back was arching off the hood of the car, and one hand was burying itself in Klaus's curls as the other covered her mouth to muffle her loud moan as her orgasm washed over her.

Before she could whisper his name, his lips were back on hers, laced with the evidence of her climax. She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, arching into him and wanting him more than ever.

"I need you," was all she needed to breath and Klaus broke away from her only a moment to retrieve a condom from his pocket and she kissed his neck as she helped him unbutton his jeans and slide them and his boxers off his hips just enough to free his hard on, which she grasped in her hand and pumped a few times before he slipped the condom on and pressed her back on the hood of the car.

Her hands held his face tightly as they kissed and his hand held her waist while the other readied himself at her entrance, and her hands making their way from his face to his hips and pulling them towards her was all the urging he needed and he slid into her. They gasped simultaneously, but it took Klaus only a moment before his lips were back on hers and his hands both held her waist and pulled her to him as he began thrusting into her.

Caroline's hands clung to his arms and back, grabbing fistfuls of his henley and her legs linked at the ankle, her still sandaled feet digging into his ass through his jeans. She gasped as he lifted his hips up more, thrusting into her at the angle and hitting her sweet spot, and he buried his face into her hair, latching onto her neck. She came undone in seconds, but he still didn't let up and she could feel herself building to another imminent climax.

"Don't stop," she gasped, "oh, don't stop. Don't stop." Her pants were quickly silenced by another searing kiss, his hips never faltering in their relentless motion. Soon his lips were back at her ear, and she could feel his warm breath on her ear again as he repeated her name, over and over.

"Caroline...Caroline...CAROLINE?"

"What?!" Caroline all but yelped, his firm but commanding tone snapping her back to reality. She gazed up at him and they were standing inches away from her car. She glanced around and realized her clothes and his were still intact and she looked back up at him to see his expectant expression, as if he'd just said something and was waiting for her response.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I said, 'I'm going to kiss you again, is that alright?'" he repeated and the reality sank into Caroline. It had all been in her head, a mere thought in her head; a dirty, steamy, hot thought, but fantasy nonetheless.

She gazed up at him, the feeling of his lips on hers and on her skin still lingering in the back of her mind, and she felt her cheeks redden as she gazed up at him. He looked at her with such respectful innocence, not wanting to push her further than she was willing to go, but deep down, she could see the flicker of passion in his eyes. A passion, she had no doubt, that would match the passion of her fantasy, and without another word, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down and planted her lips on his.

It caught him by surprise, but Klaus quickly met Caroline with the same fervor and enthusiasm as in her fantasy and as her in the present. He dropped his leather jacket on the ground and she felt her hips gently meet the side of the car after his hands caressed her ass and trailed back up her sides to hold her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders and soon they were gasping for air and he took hold of her waist and placed her on top of the hood of the car.

Even though he acted exactly as he did in her fantasy, his immediacy surprised Caroline and she clung to his neck and torso for a moment, resulting in her falling less than three inches on the hood of her car when she released her grip on him.

"Oof!" Caroline squealed against Klaus's lips as her bottom hit the car, and her fall was apparently all her car needed to sound the alarm. The car alarm honked at them loudly as her head and tail lights started to flash, and Klaus and Caroline stopped their impassioned embrace and began laughing hysterically. They both laughed so hard they were gasping for air, until Klaus finally caught his breath.

"I saw that going differently in my head," he said, still laughing and Caroline laughed and nodded in agreement.

"You're telling me!" she laughed, holding onto his shoulders so that she could slide off the hood of the car and retrieve her keys out of her purse. She clicked the Panic button and the lights stopped flashing and the horn finally stopped. They both kept laughing and their laughter became even more uproarious as they saw people curiously peering into the alley to see what all the commotion was about.

"Is everything alright?" A middle aged woman with an LSU sweatshirt on called down from the main road, and Klaus and Caroline's laughter died down enough for Klaus to turn and wave to her.

"Yes, everything's fine! We're all good here! Nothing to see!" Caroline snorted as the onlookers moved away suspiciously, still throwing them glances as they left. Klaus turned back to her and dragged a hand through his hair with a half laugh, half sigh and Caroline sighed in turn.

"So, on that note," she started, still smiling widely at him, "I think I'm gonna go." She crouched down to grab his leather jacket and she placed it around his shoulders and raised up on her tiptoes to place a firm kiss to his lips. He caught her waist and held her there for a moment, but she eventually pushed him away gently.

"Seriously, I've got to go," she laughed, slipping out of his grip. "If I don't go now, I know I'll never leave," she added, quickly opening her car door and slipping into the driver's seat.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" he asked, a husky edge on his voice as he rested his hand on the roof of the car and leaned into her open door frame. She gazed back up at him and saw the same heated passion in his eyes before he kissed her in her fantasy, and she knew then that it hadn't been merely a fantasy; it had been a premonition. Her stomach did a flip flop and her breath caught, knowing what the fruition of her and Klaus being together would result in. His passion and eagerness made her smile, and she reached out and touched his cheek gently.

"No," she said softly, "not bad, just...wrong time, wrong place..."

"Wrong equipment?" he added, quirking an eyebrow and looking around at her car and they both chuckled, realizing how close they were to going at it on top of or in her car.

"Yeah," she said, her hand falling from his face and settling on his chest, lightly tracing the necklaces that rested against his black henley.

"To be continued, then," he said lightly and she smiled.

"Yes, very soon..."

"Not soon enough," he breathed, and her eyes flitted back and forth from his eyes to his lips as his face drew closer to hers, and she met him halfway and their lips met in a sweet, but ardent kiss. He slowly broke away from her but rested his forehead on hers as they both took deep breaths.

"Drive safely," he murmured, and she chuckled.

"I'll try," she said, wishing she could take a cold shower to regain her senses faster, and his eyes danced around her face for another moment before he pecked her lips quickly again.

"Text me when you get home," he said, leaning back and straightening up. She nodded as his hand came to rest on the door handle.

"I will," she murmured with a smile, and he smiled back at her and closed her door and waved as he had last night, and she waved back before turning her key in the ignition and slowly driving down the alley and turning onto the main street. As she slowly drove away, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw his form jogging out of the alley and stopping to watch her leave. She smiled to herself, knowing that Klaus was always behind her, and she glanced at the clock on the computer console on her dashboard.

She quickly pushed a button and a trill filled her car's sound system and she enunciated clearly, "Call Bonnie." The car repeated her command and she saw Bonnie's name and number appear on the screen and heard the dial tone in the speakers. Soon the dialing stopped and there was a pause before she heard Bonnie's voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's me!" she said, brightly, "How's it going?"

There was a pause before Bonnie answered.

"Fine. We just got back to the house and we were going to shower."

"Great! That's perfect, that's awesome," Caroline gushed, "then we can go out to dinner. That's great. Awesome, sweet..."

"Oh my god, you totally did the deed, didn't you?" Bonnie suddenly exclaimed.

"What?!" Caroline shrieked.

"Oh you so did!" Elena's voice suddenly filled the car's speakers.

"Oh yeah, you're on speaker phone, btdubs," Bonnie said before Elena continued.

"You totally did the hot valet in your car, didn't you? You little hussy!"

"No I didn't!" Caroline squealed.

"Then on your car! Oooh, that's even kinkier! Well done, Care!" Elena amended her previous hypothesis and came to her resounding conclusion, sounding very proud.

"No, I didn't!" Caroline insisted. "You guys are a bunch of douchewaffles!"

"Well damn," Bonnie remarked, "Klaus must be a world class kisser then if you only made out! You only sound this chipper when you've gotten laid."

"Maybe he's a world class kisser and the promise of getting laid has her this chipper," Elena surmised out loud and Bonnie murmured in consideration. "She needs to just screw him already so she doesn't have to feel guilty about all those dirty thoughts about Klaus."

"Oh my god, shut up! You guys are so embarrassing," Caroline groaned. "I'm hanging up now. I'll be home soon, and once you guys are showered, we can go grab a bite to eat."

"I wonder if Klaus got a bite," Bonnie wondered, a teasing edge to her voice.

"I guess we'll see once she gets home!" Elena replied.

"Hanging up now!" Caroline shouted before hitting the button to end the call. She sighed, hoping the breath would let the stress and tension out of her body, but she found it mounting as she remembered the heated glances and the caresses, both real and imagined. She smiled and turned on her radio and began dancing along to the music, excited and anxious to see Klaus again and for him to get her engine going, as he said, not soon enough.

* * *

**A/N:** Special thanks to Alex (klarolineepiclove), Ashley (jomosfamilyjewels; TheDeej) and Leah (approvesomuch) for Betaing!


	2. Adult Supervision

**When You Least Expect It:**

**Adult Supervision**

_Who even rented porn from a video store anymore? That was the question Klaus Mikaelson found himself muttering after his baby brother somehow managed to blackmail him into running the dirty errand for him. It was supposed to be simple: Get in, get out, no need for more embarrassment than absolutely necessary. But once he'd set eyes on the blonde haired beauty working behind the counter, he realized that maybe a little embarrassment could go a long way._

_Written by: klarolineepiclove_

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"You're bloody joking."

Klaus could do nothing but stare incredulously at his younger brother as they sat outside the brightly lit building.

Kol was nodding, a grin on his face, his lower lip captured behind between his teeth. One long arm was draped over the back of his headrest, his fingers tapping an anxious rhythm against it. He shrugged.

"I'm not allowed inside."

Klaus' eyebrow arched.

Sighing, Kol motioned towards the entrance. "I'm on their Wall of Shame. I step foot in this establishment, and bad things will happen." His brother's expression remained unchanging, and he groaned, shifting in his seat so he could fully face him. "Come on, Nik! Do your baby brother a favor here. I ask for so little."

Klaus snorted, shaking his head.

"This will have been the third favor this week alone I'll be doing for you, little brother." He sighed, watching Kol shrug. "What did you do to end up on this alleged Wall of Shame?"

A bright shit-eating grin adorned the younger Mikaelson's face as he laughed, his dark eyes alight with the memory. He shrugged. "Let's just say that there is quite the fetching young lass that works here who just couldn't handle my suggestions at how perfectly ebony and ivory would live in harmony together."

Klaus rolled his eyes. Of course it would be a sexual harassment thing. Kol always did have a knack for taking his flirtations just a tad too far. He found himself feeling sorry for the young woman that had the misfortune of catching his brother's eye, but at the same time was oddly impressed that she apparently fought back.

Though his brother's banishment from the establishment was causing quite the problem now.

"Well?" Kol asked.

"You do realize, Kol, that this sort of thing is what the internet is for?"

"And get swindled by their disguised membership fees and hidden costs? Bullocks, Nik. Why the world is so set on being so ahead of the times…what happened to the smell of musty books and the scratch of pen on paper? Authenticity, Nik, that's what this is. This is me taking a stand against the barbaric onslaught of modern technology."

Klaus smirked, turning the key in the ignition as he turned back towards the windshield. "Yes, well, this is me taking a stand against your perversions and the need to pull all of us in with them."

Kol's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening as he leaned forwards. "Do this for me, Niklaus, or Bekah just might happen upon the information of what truly ruined her romantic getaway with that blonde dunderhead football player."

The blonde growled low in his throat, his lips turning up in a grimace, as he killed the ignition.

Kol grinned in triumph, reaching over and slapping his brother on the back. "Now remember…redheaded and voluptuous."

Klaus sneered at him, ripping open the door with a growl and slamming it shut behind him. He gritted his teeth as he caught his younger brother sticking his head out the driver's side window, a grin on his face.

"Or a parody! You can't go wrong with _This Ain't the Jetsons_!

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As he stalked into the video rental store, Klaus couldn't help but look around with disinterest.

It wasn't that he was a snob. He could understand the appeal of video rentals. Some people didn't have the good fortune to possess a computer, let alone wifi—though at times, he found himself wondering how the other half of the world survives without it—so forking out a few bucks for a week long movie that no doubt would be watched again and again wasn't a horrible investment.

He supposed he was a bit spoiled, what with his streaming Netflix and his DVR. He never even had to leave the comfort of his home to catch up on missed seasons of_ The Walking Dead_ or_ Game of Thrones_.

He sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he leisurely walked along the green and orange carpeting. Various movie posters adorned the walls, all happy and bright family films, no doubt to make sure no wandering child was frightened by grisly images. The sounds of some upbeat Disney tune was pouring from the speakers, the numerous flat screens mounted to the walls flashing with images of dancing candlesticks and singing teapots.

He cringed. He always did detest those foolish children's fables.

His eyes scanned the rest of the store, noting the few straggling customers perusing the stacks of classic cinema and a young teenage boy laughing as he read the back of a Stand Up Comedian special.

His steps slowed, however, when his eyes finally passed over the checkout counter, and landed on the cashier that was seated behind the large orange counter.

She was exquisite. Long blonde curls framed a bright, expressive face. Big blue eyes danced with laughter as she talked to a dark skinned young woman who stood at her side, the smile on her face nearly dazzling him from across the store.

He stared, unable to tear his gaze away. She was slender, a pale pink sundress hugging her every curve. A delicate heart shaped necklace was worn around her neck, glinting in the overhead lights as it dangled just above her bosom.

Her laugh was light and lilting, her blue eyes dancing with what he could only describe as pure light.

She was stunning. Beautiful. Breathtaking.

The phone in his pocket started to buzz frantically, and he gritted his teeth as he tore his gaze away from the blonde siren across the room, fishing the irritating piece of technology out and swiping his finger across the screen. He rolled his eyes in irritation when his brother's face smiled up at him, and he scoffed as his eyes scoured the message on the screen.

"Horny Grannies?" Klaus muttered, jumping slightly when he heard a throat clear at his side, his eyes darting up to catch sight of an older couple glaring disapprovingly at him from their place in the Classics Section. He offered them a smile, chuckling under his breath, and ducked his head, hurrying towards the back of the store as he shoved his phone back to its rightful place in his pocket.

He followed the orange and red carpet as it winded towards the back of the store, lifting his gaze to see the block lettered sign hanging above a pair of swinging wooden doors that read "Adult Room," and he could feel the faint blush creep up the back of his neck as he neared them. He slowed his steps, glancing over his shoulder, and his breath nearly caught in his throat when he met the eyes of the pretty blonde customer rep across the store.

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Caroline had noticed him the second he'd walked through the doors.

Bonnie had been going on about the new candy shipment they'd received that morning, and how she had no idea how people could possibly want to eat pure sugar goo, when she'd seen him from the corner of her eyes.

He'd walked into the store, tall and blonde and broad shouldered, piercing blue eyes taking in every detail with painstaking clarity. She'd tried to appear nonchalant as she twisted around on her chair, her eyes following him as he slowly made his way into the store, walking with what she could only describe as pure swag. His strides were long and confident, giving off the aura of a man who knew how to take charge and knew exactly what he wanted.

"Caroline."

She jumped in her chair, blue eyes widening as she whirled around the look at her friend and coworker. Bonnie was looking at her with a knowing smile, her head tilted to the side and arms crossed over her chest as she arched an eyebrow at her in amusement.

"What?"

Bonnie laughed, shaking her head. "Don't 'what' me, Forbes. If eye sexing was a form of assault, they'd be hauling your ass out of this store in handcuffs." Caroline laughed, shaking her head, and turned her attention back to the hunk of man candy that was now leisurely making his way across the store. "Who is he?"

She shrugged, drumming her fingers on the countertop. "Never seen him before." She watched as he stopped in his steps, his eyes downcast and fixated on the phone in his hands. His fingers were flying across the screen, and Caroline found herself wondering what kind of hands he possessed. Would they be calloused? She was getting an awfully strong artsy vibe from him. Maybe a sculptor or a painter. A musician, perhaps. But he also carried himself with such grace and charisma, so maybe his hands were soft and gentle. Worn, but not in a rough way. Strong. Powerful. Seductive.

Her heart froze in her chest when his eyes suddenly raised and connected with hers, a near unbearable shiver shooting down her spine at the sheer intensity of his gaze. Even from across the room, she could feel it down to her toes.

It was like something straight out of one of the Disney movies she spent hours of her shift watching over and over again: Boy sees girl...girl sees boy...sparks fly...

And then the sparks fizzle and pop the second he disappears through the saloon style doors straight into the Adult Section.

Caroline could feel her earlier excitement and anticipation drain from her body quicker than she could grasp, her eyes watching the doors swinging slowly behind the man's departing figure. It figured...it ALWAYS figured.

"Can't one guy-just one, single cute guy-walk into this freaking store and not automatically go back to the room of Boobs and Bush?"

Bonnie snorted next to her, her hands making quick work of sorting through the newly arrived product and arranging them in neat piles for later distribution. "You know how it is, Care," she murmured. "Why pay for the dinner and the romance when you can have a 'Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am' with yourself and avoid all the trouble? Besides, a guy that hot? You know he was bound to show up with some kind of serious issues."

Caroline sighed, shaking her head. "Still..."

The doors to the Adult Section swung open with a bang, and they both lifted their heads to see the man making his way towards the counter, a clear plastic dvd case clenched in his hand, his face clenched tightly as he muttered under his breath, sliding his cellphone back into his pocket with a look of disdain.

Caroline raised herself to her full height, forcing a pleasant, customer service friendly smile onto her face as he approached, her eyes quickly taking in the sight of him so much closer, while trying to keep the disappointment from clouding her blue orbs as he tossed the dvd onto the orange countertop. "Find everything okay?"

His eyes lifted, and the stern expression faded from his face, his lips tugging up into a devilishly flirtatious smirk, and Caroline could feel her stomach clench at the simple sight. "As well as to be expected, love."

She tried to push down the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach at the delicious way the words seemed to roll of his tongue in a deep accented voice, or the way his deep blue eyes bore into hers. She chose to instead focus on the menial task in front of her: Remove the security pin from the dvd-while trying to not roll her eyes and cringe at the topless, big breasted woman that smirked up at her from the disc.

_"Busty Baseball Beauties_, huh?" she found herself asking, unable to stop the words from slipping out of her mouth. She could practically hear Bonnie's head whip around to stare at her, while the handsome dimpled man in front of her merely frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"Pardon me?"

Her eyes widened for a brief, unprepared moment. What was she doing? She knew better. They drilled it into your head the second you started this job: You don't judge. No judging. The customers aren't here for your opinions and comments-they were here for their own pleasure and preferences.

No matter how tasteless and naked their preferences may be.

He was still looking at her, Bonnie's gaze boring into the back of her head, and she laughed uncomfortably, shaking her head. "Nothing. I'm sorry."

She snatched up the laminated membership card that he had placed on the counter, swiping it with much more force than was really necessary, only half paying attention to the member information that popped up on the screen.

"Hmm," Mr. Dimples murmured. "I'm curious, sweetheart. Is undisguised disdain part of the job qualification, or is that just an added bonus?"

Her eyes snapped back up to his, noting the glint in his eyes, the teasing edge to his voice, and she tried to squash the sudden thundering of her heart in her chest. Her gaze dropped to his smirking lips, then back up to his piercing stare, her own lips twitching into an unbidden smile.

"Well, really, it's none of my business. I mean, whatever floats your boat and all that, but it's a little unrealistic, isn't it?" She scrunched up her face, shifting on her feet as she looked at him. "I mean, voluptuous, perfectly shaped women in far too tight fitting mock baseball uniforms, moaning and groaning in far too loud of decibels. Seriously?"

Something small and round smacked into the back of her head-she estimated from Bonnie's general direction-and she shook it off, biting the inside of her lip to keep from turning and hissing at her friend.

"Well, everyone has their own kinks, love," he replied, shrugging his shoulders and lifting his hands until they rested palm down on the counter. "Who are you or I to judge that? Even the purest hearts are drawn to a bit of temptation now and then."

"Sure, but there's a difference between temptation and perversion."

"Caroline," Bonnie hissed behind her.

Mr. Dimples smiled. "Caroline." Even her name rolled off his tongue like silk. "Well...you have me there. Shame there's such a fine line then, isn't it? After all, aren't some form of perversion tempting? Wasn't that why that whole 50 Shades nonsense was such a hit? The seduction behind it? The pure, unadulterated desire to walk on that dark side? The allure of giving in to your baser, more primal urges, if even just once?"

The deep huskiness of his voice washed over her, making her breath catch and her skin flush, both attributes that didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Dimples, whose smirk grew and whose eyes seemed to darken to a near black as he took in her new rosy hue.

She scoffed, shaking herself out of her reverie. "There is no 'allure' to anything," she protested. "None of _this_," she waved the offending dvd case in the air. "Is real. Okay?"

"Caroline," Bonnie said again, louder and more firm, and the blonde ignored her completely, so lost in her own tirade and the anger she felt that the first guy that had struck her fancy in over three years-three, long years-was more interested in mock sexual intercourse than the real thing.

"Sex is not like this. I mean, seriously, these are actors, paid to behave like this. Sex is not that satisfying."

A deep, amused chuckle escaped him then, and he leaned towards her, resting his forearms against the counter. "Well, clearly you're not doing it right then, love."

The deafening sound of dozens of boxes of pre-packaged candies and chocolates toppling to the ground resounded suddenly, and Caroline jumped, taking a deep breath to steel herself against the sudden explosion of heat that erupted from her very core-and yes, she meant THAT core-as she spun around to see Bonnie fumbling with yellow boxes of Milk Duds and Lemonheads, her dark skin flushed an even deeper shade as she lifted a pair of disbelieving eyes. Her lips parted into a perfect O shape as she stared at her, and Caroline widened her eyes, shaking her head the slightest bit before turning back around, plastering a smile to her face and vowing to herself that she wouldn't play his games anymore.

No, she'd dated the porn loving scumbag before. She'd dated the guy who glued himself to the TV with a lust filled gaze and no concern for her. She'd dated Mr. Rosy Palm, and was left with nothing but disappointment and bitterness.

And she didn't care how adorable his dimples were, or how temptuous his eyes might be, or how his very voice could send a shiver down her spine-she wouldn't fall for it again.

She sighed, watching his gaze settle on her face. "Look, Mr..." She snuck a peek at the computer screen, her lips turning down into a frown as she finally took in the information that flashed before her. "Mikaelson. You're not Kol Mikaelson."

"No, and thank God for that," he laughed. "See, funny story-my git of a younger brother apparently thought he could pull one over on you lovely ladies by sending me in his stead while he waits in the car. Something about harassment or other such thing that resulted in his banishment from this establishment, a fact that I'm not all surprised by. He has quite a few cringe worthy habits, as that piece of smut only goes to prove."

Caroline blinked, her gaze shifting from the dvd in her hand to him, and back again, once more, before she opened her mouth to speak. "Your brother?"

The other Mikaelson brother nodding, his smirk growing as he took in her flustered expression.

"Call me Klaus."

"Kol Mikaelson?!" Bonnie screeched from her place on the floor, her dark curls flying as she shot to her feet, her eyes snapping to the large windows that overlooked the parking lot, narrowing when she caught sight of the idling vehicle and the smug, smirking individual that sat inside it. "Ebony and ivory...that perverted little monkey."

Caroline shifted out of the way when her friend stomped off the stage, hands balled into fists at her side as she shoved her way through the door, her voice echoing as she shouted Kol's name, and she watched with rapt fascination as the young man stumbled from the car, grinning at her, before laughing as Bonnie shoved him against the car, wagging her finger in his face, her angry reprimands muffled through the glass.

A long second passed before Caroline returned her gaze to Klaus, an uneasy, embarrassed smile spreading across her face when she caught him still gazing at her, a smirk on his face. "So...I'm guessing the porn wasn't for you."

He shook his head. "No, I, uh...I prefer the real thing." He grinned. "Much more satisfying in my opinion." He leaned towards her again. "Fancy grabbing a drink later? Now that we've established I'm not one of those crude men you curl your lip at and shrink away in disgust?" He watched with rapt pleasure as that lovely blush settled against her skin again, and he realized there was nothing more he'd rather see than that very thing, for as long as she'd allow him to make it happen. "What do you say, love? Everyone can do with a little whetting of desire."

A shy, but damn near seductive smile crossed her face then, and his eyes stayed glued to her lips as her teeth captured the lower one in its confines. "And what desire would we be whetting? The one for a drink, or the one for...satisfaction?"

He grinned. "Whatever floats your boat, darling."

She laughed, the sound ringing in his ears, and his smile widened.

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A low growl escaped Klaus' throat when Caroline roughly shoved him against the brick wall of the video store, the dim lighting from the lone streetlamp in the alley casting misshapen shadows on the pavement below their feet.

He'd followed her out the back exit once she'd finished her shift, prepared to dose out every ounce of charm he had on the petite blonde spitfire to guarantee himself a second date, and had been pleasantly surprised when she all but jumped him the second the door slammed shut behind them.

Her hands grasped at his shirt, tugging and pulling it free from the waistband of his pants, and he gritted his teeth when her sharp nails scraped down the length of his lean torso, his own hands tightening around her waist.

Her lips were attacking the column of his neck, the exposed skin of his collarbone-seemingly every expanse of flesh they could reach. He growled when her teeth nipped playfully at his neck, her muffled laughter mixing with her quiet sighs and moans as his hands slid over her hips, down her sides, until they cupped her bottom, tugging sharply and pulling her flush against him.

Her surprised gasp brought a devilish smirk to his lips, and he used her momentary hesitation to take control, capturing her mouth with his and dueling her tongue with his moaned against him, her palms flattening against his stomach before they inched upwards, pulling the grey Henley up with them. They broke apart only long enough for Caroline to pull the shirt over his head and off to the side before they kissed again, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed herself impossibly closer.

His fingers were kneading the plump flesh of her rear, before they slid down achingly slow until they reached the hem of her dress, dancing across the sensitive skin of her thighs, and they were both surprised by the wanton moan that escaped her lips.

Klaus' mouth tore away from hers only to move to her neck, nipping and licking and sucking at the smooth, flawless flesh he found there, taking a step and shifting their positions until she was the one pressed against the wall, his hips grinding against hers as her legs bracketed his waist.

"Quite an interesting turn of events," he murmured into her skin. "Lecturing me on the evils and unreality of smut films, only to re enact your own scene in the darkened alleyway."

Her breathy laugh crashed against his ear. "Well, you were the one who said it was more realistic than I realized." She pressed a kiss to the shell of his ear, her teeth tugging at his earlobe as her fingers played with the blonde curls at the base of his neck. "So show me."

His cock tightened at her blatant dare, her eager hands already tugging at his belt buckle, and he wasted no time in hiking her pink sundress up around her hips, allowing his eyes to rake across her splendid form, darkening once he caught sight of the sorry excuse for lingerie that separated him from the place he truly longed to see.

The clink of metal hitting metal echoed through the alley, and Caroline nearly let out a shout of triumph when she wrestled down the zipper of his jeans, tugging the offending pants down his legs, her hand instantly going to stroke him as soon as he was freed. A broken moan greeted her faint touch, and she smirked in triumph, letting her hand travel the impressive length of him, from tip to base, again and again until his tight grip caught her wrist, halting her action.

"As much as I'd love for you to keep doing that, sweetheart, I believe you offered me a challenge," he hissed.

"I did," she countered, her mouth dropping open when his hands teased her through the thin silk of her underwear. "Sure you've got what it takes?"

He laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck as his fingers toyed with the waistband of her thong. "Why don't you be the judge of that?" And before she could even form a reply, his hands were sliding the flimsy garment down her legs and her feet left the ground, her heels digging into the small of his back as he wrapped legs around his waist, her hands bracing themselves against his shoulders as he pressed another fiery kiss to her lips, and then he was thrusting into her.

Caroline cried out, tossing her head back and digging her nails into his shoulders as he stretched her, every long, tantalizing inch of him, until she didn't think she could bear it. Then he was pulling out of her, slowly-oh so achingly slow-and thrusting into her again, the bare skin of her shoulders scraping against the harsh brick behind them with every movement.

He groaned, peppering the skin of her chest that lay exposed above her neckline with open mouthed kisses, her skin the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. Her wet hot heat was pulling him in, clenching around him, and he dug his hands into the small of her back as he pressed her harder against the wall.

"Yes," he heard her panting above him. "Oh, God, yes, don't stop. Please, don't stop."

Her moaned pleas were intoxicating, washing over him and he groaned into her neck, his thrusts picking up speed and force, until he was pounding up into her, her cries echoing against the alleyway, the sharp sting of her nails in the skin of his shoulders sending an indescribable mix of pain and pleasure through him.

"Klaus, oh my God," she cried, pressing her lips against his as she writhed against him. "Fuck, I'm so close. Jesus, oh, God don't stop!"

Her legs were tightening around him, her lips assaulted his with a ferocity that both surprised and aroused him, and then she was gasping, crying out against him, her head tossed back and blonde curls cascaded over her shoulders as her walls clenched around him.

He was mesmerised, watching her face-a mask of completely ecstasy-as she came around him, her small, sated whimpers crashing down around him, and when she tilted her head back down to gaze into his eyes-her own wonderstruck-it was the final pull he needed to find his own release.

He moaned blissfully as the tension between his legs was relieved, his orgasm pulsing through him as her lips traced the curve of his jaw.

They collapsed against each other, Klaus bracing one hand against the wall next to her shoulder to keep from crushing her against it, and they both fought to catch their breath. One by one, her legs slid down from around his waist, her feet settling on the ground. He pushed away from her, righting her rumpled sundress back around her legs before pulling his pants back up, quickly fastening belt as he leaned forward to capture her lips once more.

She giggled against his lips, one hand coming up to trace the curve of his neck. She broke away, resting her forehead against his. "Wow."

He laughed, pecking her lips with his. "Real enough for you, love?"

"And then some," she nodded, pulling away and running a hand through her tousled tresses. She watched as he smirked, crossing to the other side of the alley and picking up his shirt, shaking it out a few times before slipping it over his head. She eyed the way the muscles in his arms and back flexed with his every move, and she could feel that familiar stirring in the pit of her stomach return when he turned back to her.

"Still fancy that drink?"

She grinned, nodding, and skipped over to him, sliding her arm through his as she nuzzled against his chest. "I know the perfect place."

Klaus pressed a kiss to the top of her head, relishing in the feel of her against him. And to think this all started out because his baby brother had a hankering for poorly shot smut films...

He would have to remember to thank Kol one day.

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**Shout out to Becky (a-little-blonde-distraction) for being my partner in crime!**


	3. The Strangest Places

_**When You Least Expect It:**_

**The Strangest Places**

_Klaus Mikaelson, a young, charismatic politician, loses campaign for Senator of Louisiana to a charismatic, albeit intimidating former friend and begins to ready his concession speech. But a chance encounter in The Roosevelt meeting an equally enigmatic and beautiful blonde inspires him to give the greatest speech of his career._

(Written by: a-little-blonde-distraction)

* * *

"St. Bernard numbers!"

Klaus turned in the direction of the voice and saw one of his interns, Adrian, with a phone pressed to his ear and a finger held up in the air telling them to wait for the voting results. Klaus glanced at his best friend Stefan, also his campaign manager, and saw the young man attempting to appear calm and not too eager; however, the gleam in his eyes gave him away. Stefan had put everything he had into Klaus' election. It had been an uphill battle for weeks and Klaus knew the only person that hated losing more than himself was Stefan.

"Marcel: 420,191, Klaus..." the young intern relayed the information that was being given to him over the phone, and Klaus watched as the man's hopeful expression fell as he added, "301,311."

"Damn," Stefan muttered, going to the dry erase board where they had the state of Louisiana and all its counties outlined and labeled and forcefully filling in St. Bernard parish with red. There was far too much red on the board, which didn't bode well for Klaus at all, but he knew his partner in crime would not call it quits. It surprised Klaus when he heard Stefan quietly add, "I really thought we'd get St. Bernard."

He looked away, staring off into space and soon felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He didn't bother to look at Stefan, knowing his friend felt guilty about admitting his surprise at their newly announced loss in one of Klaus's more popular counties; at least, what they'd _thought_ was one of Klaus's more popular counties. Before Stefan could feed him the supportive and optimistic line Klaus knew was on his lips, another intern named Kimberly approached them tentatively.

"New Orleans is in too," the curly haired brunette quietly said, handing Stefan a small folded piece of paper with the totals. From her demeanor and tone, Klaus knew the numbers weren't good either. Sure enough, Stefan glanced at the numbers and looked back up at Klaus with an uneasy and apologetic expression.

"Huh," Klaus murmured, "I didn't even get New Orleans." The one parish and city in the whole state that Klaus actually identified with, the place he actually liked to call 'home,' hadn't even elected him.

"CBS and NBC are calling it soon," Kimberly added sadly, then turned to go back to her phone after giving both men an apologetic and respectful nod. They stood where they were for a moment in silence, but when Klaus heard Stefan take a deep breath and sigh, he knew he wasn't ready to hear Stefan talk through the next steps.

"I'm going to go work on my concession speech," he added, turning to leave.

"Klaus..." Stefan started to say, but Klaus turned back and cut him off.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Stefan," he said sadly, hoping that his friend knew he was sincerely sorry and when he saw Stefan's expression change, he knew he had and he turned and continued walking to exit the large conference room. As he walked towards the doors, he passed numerous TVs that the interns and campaign workers had turned on to various news channels, but all were reporting the same thing.

"Upon collecting and analyzing the data received from the Louisiana polls, this network is calling the election for Marcel Delanuit. After suffering substantial and surprising losses in St. Bernard parish and his home county of Orleans, it appears that Klaus Mikaelson will not be reclaiming his seat as Senator for the state of Louisiana after serving in the House of Representatives for nearly six years..."

Klaus felt like his limbs had filled with lead and took everything inside him not to trudge out of the expansive conference room with all the eyes turned to him. Normally, all eyes being on him, looking to him for what to do or what he was going to say was what he wanted, what he craved, what he needed; now it made him sick to his stomach. He'd failed, miserably, and although it was his greatest fear, all he wanted right that moment was to be utterly alone.

Once he'd left the conference room, he kept walking, glancing around The Roosevelt Hotel's opulent and resplendent hallway before spotting the sign for the men's bathroom. He made a beeline for the door, glad that Stefan had reserved the entire second floor and not just the conference room, giving him a clear and unobstructed path with not a soul in sight, then quickly pushed open the door and dashed inside.

"Hello?" he called out, hoping that the bathroom was empty, and to his relief, no one replied. He took a deep breath and crossed over to the sink, placing a hand on either side on the counter, and closed his eyes and continued to breath deeply.

Once he felt the tension start to leave his neck and shoulders, he turned one of the handles and splashed some cold water on his face. He patted his face dry with a napkin and tossed it in the wastebasket before reaching into his inside jacket pocket and retrieving his notecards. He glanced at the blue ones before tossing them in the wastebasket along with his discarded napkin. He wouldn't be needing those; the cards for his victory speech. He instead turned his attention to the red ones, red like the counties on the map back in the conference room, and sighed.

He delivered his speech a few times, muttering through it the first time, then delivered it a few more times just for kicks, pacing around. He knew when it was time to give his speech, Stefan would come to get him or send someone for him.

Klaus was just about to finish his speech for the hundredth time when he suddenly heard something clatter to the floor. He turned in the direction the noise had been coming from, around the end of the row of bathroom stalls near the far wall, and his brow furrowed. He thought he'd been alone, and the thought that someone had been in there the entire time with him started to make him embarrassed and uneasy.

"Hello?" he called, hoping that someone would reply or come out, so he knew he wasn't crazy and hadn't imagined the noise. He thought he heard what faintly sounded like someone cursing under their breath, and after a moment, the second to last stall door opened. Klaus had expected and hoped for someone to come out and make themselves known.

What he hadn't expected was _a woman_ to come out of the stall; and not just any woman, but one of the most awe-inspiring and breathtakingly gorgeous women he'd ever laid eyes on.

The young woman, who couldn't have been more than 24 or 25 years old, exited the stall, pausing a moment in the open door to look at him. Her sparkling blue eyes met his and gazed at him unabashedly and directly before she turned and crossed to the counter of sinks calmly and casually, as if her presence there was not unusual or inappropriate in any way.

Klaus turned back to look at the stall where she had emerged from, half expecting to see some man following her, adjusting his clothes or something, but no one else followed and he turned back to her. She kept her attention focused straight ahead of her and he saw that she had placed a few things on the countertop in front of them: an unopened bottle of Krug Brut champagne, a gold clutch and a pair of black strappy Manolo Blahniks.

He only knew they were Manolos because they were Stefan's fiance's brand of choice; but the fact that they were in her hands made him stop to look at her feet and he realized she was carrying her footwear from how her deep blue evening dress pooled a bit at her feet.

His gaze slowly slid up her form, taking in her formal, evening attire. She was wearing long, chiffon evening gown in a deep, sapphire blue that matched her sparkling eyes that gathered into an empire waist and then to her left shoulder. The pale, smooth skin of her neck and chest was unadorned, but she wore a gold lace filigree cuff on her wrist that matched the gold lace filigree earrings on her ears. Although they were large earrings, they were neither gaudy nor obnoxious with her golden hair down, beautifully styled and pinned, mostly straight but curling inward to frame her face. He gazed at her a moment, taking her all in and came to the simple conclusion that she was absolutely stunning...and absolutely out of place, considering where they were standing.

Once he found his voice again, he gazed at her, half confused and half curious, and spoke.

"This is the mens."

"Yeah," she said casually, although he saw a smile playing on her lips. She washed and dried her hands silently before she quickly turned back to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said, her expression genuine, "It's just..." She gazed at him for a moment, then began to babble.

"I heard you come in and say 'Hello,' and I probably should've said, 'Hi," but then...I thought that'd be weird, you know? Since it's...the men's bathroom and all, and I didn't know what to do. Then you started talking to yourself, and you sounded so focused, I didn't want to interrupt since it sounded pretty important. But then clumsy me dropped my shoe and you heard, but by that time I was ready for it to be over anyway, so...here I am." She sighed, glancing back down at her things on the countertop, then looked back up at him sheepishly, a slight blush on her cheeks.

He watched her deliver her speech animatedly and was overwhelmed by how utterly honest she was, although her story still didn't explain why she was there at all.

"Right," he said, "but, what are you _doing_ in here?" She chuckled and sighed lightly, both beautiful and heavenly sounds to his ears, and she gazed up at the ceiling as if she were debating whether to fess up or not. She brought her gaze back to his and took a deep breath.

"I'm hiding from security." Her frank candor made Klaus snort. What could a young woman in a full length evening gown have done to have security after her?

"What did you do, love? Steal someone's prom dress?" He sniggered and she gave him a smiling but exasperated expression as if to say, 'Ha ha, very funny.'

"I crashed a wedding upstairs," she said, sounding both matter-of-fact and proud of herself and he laughed again.

"Do people really still do that?"

"Apparently so," she shrugged with a knowing smirk. "I mean, it's my ex-best friend's wedding."

"Ex-best friend?"

"Yeah, she and I had this huge fight when she got together with her boyfriend, well, _husband_ now, and..."

"Why?"

"Because he's such an asshole," she said exasperatedly, as if the man in question was a pebble in her shoe, and Klaus chuckled at her tone and expression. "He's sneaky and manipulative and rude. He's completely wrong for her, but she just doesn't see that because her feelings are clouding her judgement and I really don't like it. Just the thought of the two of them together just makes me want to barf!"

"Easy, love," he said, stepping towards her, hoping his voice would calm her. She'd begun to rant a bit, and he watched her take a deep breath and immediately calm.

"It's just, as her best friend, it's up to me to tell her when she's making a huge mistake, right?" He nodded obligingly and she continued, "So when the priest asked if there was any reason why they should not be wed...I didn't exactly hold my peace."

"Really?"

"And...I had been taken off the guest list, so to say my objection came out of the blue is an understatement," she said and laughed along with Klaus.

"Wow, I've never been to a wedding where someone actually spoke up and objected."

"Me either, it was strangely exhilarating," she said and they chuckled. "So they had security escort me out, and I would've left, but I felt like getting a little dig in at them, so I snuck back in during the reception and stole one of their expensive bottles," she added proudly, lightly tapping the bottle of champagne between them.

"Nicely done."

"Thank you," she said and the two chuckled. "I would've been home free, but one of the waiters spotted me." Klaus smirked, tucking his note cards back in his jacket pocket, then leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

"I crashed a wedding once."

"Yeah?"

"In high school," he added, giving her a knowing look and she snorted, catching his subtle teasing at the immaturity of crashing a wedding, and they laughed. "But I got caught," he said, "I spent the night in jail."

"That happened more than once, from what I've heard," the blonde said, her gaze discerning. He was ready to dispel whatever her notions were of him, but instead of seeing reservation or judgement, he saw amusement and intrigue in her eyes. "You're that guy running for Senate, aren't you?" He nodded, unable to use his words again, watching her study him. "And judging by your speech, you're not winning are you?" He shook his head and she sighed. "That's such a shame. That other guy is such a sleazeball," she said with a roll of her eyes and he erupted into resounding laughter.

"He is a _total_ sleazeball," he echoed her summary of his opponent, his own ex-best friend, and chuckled, "I should've made that clearer in my campaign."

"Yeah, well, I personally don't think that mooning your friends at a Halloween party is that big of a deal," she said, smiling impishly. "Especially when you're dressed as a wolf."

Klaus groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. She was referring to the video that had been leaked to the media, showing how he'd gotten hammered and mooned some of his friends at a Halloween party during his last year of law school. When they'd asked him if he was ready to shift if there was a full moon outside, he replied, 'You want a full moon? I'll show you a full moon,' and made good on his promise.

"The news circuits didn't have to keep playing it over and over," he said sadly.

"Especially not when it's got over a million hits on YouTube," she added.

"3.4 million the last time my team checked," he smirked.

"That's all?" she said, and when they chuckled, she added, "At the risk of boosting your ego, I will say the video's worth more hits than that." He chuckled and blushed, casting his eyes down. "I'm serious, my friend Bonnie kept telling me that out of any politician running for office, she wouldn't mind seeing you talk out of your ass."

"Oh God," he moaned, covering his eyes with one hand, but smiling and they laughed uproariously. After a while, she sighed and his gaze fell back on her.

"Seriously though, it was my favorite part of your whole campaign."

"Really?" he said incredulously. Based on what her friend said and her expression, he didn't know if he should be embarrassed or flattered. "Well I'm sure my campaign manager, Stefan, would've loved your help in spinning the story."

"Yeah, and then I could help cross-analyze each and every word that comes out of your mouth with polls and statistics," she said, and it was the first time that he'd detected any judgement from her and he smirked.

"So you like politicians then?"

"I like when they do things that I can relate to," she clarified, sliding her things back on the counter and hoisting herself up to sit on the edge.

"Like pull their pants down?" he replied quickly.

"I _love_ that," she said firmly, raising an eyebrow and challenging him to grill her more. He smiled and they laughed at her declaration. "That," she added, "and a man that can tie his own ties." She reached over and gently touched his striped blue tie with smaller red and white stripes. He felt his heart racing not just at her proximity, but the gentle feeling of her fingertips at his neck.

"Glad I didn't wear my clip on, then," he joked after taking a steadying breath and she chuckled lightly under her breath.

"Me too, you're not seven after all."

They both chuckled and when he heard her sigh, he studied her face and saw sadness and disappointment ghost across it and soon she spoke again. "Do you still have a chance?" He gazed at her until her eyes met his again, and she gazed at him silently for a while before adding, "Is it over?"

"He crushed me."

"I'm sorry," she sighed and in that moment, Klaus really felt like someone was truly empathizing with his loss. She was studying his face as he was hers, but something just clicked between them. The air was electric, and he felt like he was talking to an old friend; not a random stranger in the men's bathroom in a hotel.

"Well, I'm sure you could use a drink," she said suddenly as she began to unwrap the foil around top of the champagne bottle and unscrew the wire covering the cork, "and after the night we've had, I can't think of a better person to share this with." He theatrically placed a hand over his heart and she giggled.

"This is such an honor, and I want you to know that I don't take this thoughtful gesture lightly," he said sincerely, although his gestures were more ironic.

"You shouldn't," she replied, "this champagne is going to taste even better since it was stolen; everyone knows stolen food and beverages taste better."

"Very true," he smiled as she twisted the cork out masterfully. She held out the bottle to him, but he held up his hand, and insisted, "No no, ladies first." She smiled then looked off past him for a moment before looking back at him and raising the bottle up.

"To losing friends and losing elections," she said brightly and he laughed as she took a swig of the bubbly before handing him the bottle. He took a large swig and was surprised at how cold it was.

"It's chilled?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "What, do you think I'm some heathen that drinks warm champagne just because I crash weddings and hide in the men's room?" He laughed and held up his hands defensively as she giggled, taking another sip before putting the bottle back down on the counter.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "I've just never toasted losing something before..."

"There's nothing wrong with losing," the blonde said honestly.

"No, I know losing has it's advantages," he said quickly, but she peered at him suspiciously like she thought he was agreeing with her just for the sake of agreeing. He chuckled and thought for a moment. "As a politician, you're rarely ever alone, unless you're asleep or in the bathroom-usually," he added, giving her a pointed look and she giggled, "I mean, that gets old rather fast. It'll be nice not having people chattering at me constantly and tugging me every which way." The nameless blonde watched him as he spoke and as he took another sip of champagne, she smiled.

"No," she murmured softly, "I don't buy it. I think you love it."

The bottle of champagne lowered from Klaus's lips as her observation sank in and her expression challenged him to tell her she was wrong. She completely floored him, not just with her frank honesty, but with her intuitiveness. Not only was she right, but Klaus also realized in that moment that he was completely at ease and relaxed; moreover, he was extremely glad that he hadn't been alone in the bathroom before having to concede and admit defeat in front of the entire nation. And she'd hit the nail on the head; this beautiful, intelligent, strong, mysterious woman, whose aura emanated this amazing and inconceivable light, had him to a T.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked, trying to hide his shock and dismay, but she just laughed quietly and gazed at him the same way. She was waiting for him to tell her she was wrong, and he sighed, knowing he just couldn't do it.

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "I'll have to try to be more convincing when I tell that to other people."

"Well," she said carefully getting down from the countertop, a small triumphant on her face, "don't worry; you don't have to be convincing until the next election." He watched her gather her things and suddenly realized she was planning on leaving. And he didn't want her to leave; not just yet.

"Hey," he said softly, taking hold of her arm gently to halt her movements. She stopped and looked down at his hand on her arm and his own gazed flitted back and forth between her face and his hand on her arm.

It was the first time they'd actually had real physical contact and Klaus's hand practically trembled at the tingling sensation that he was sure she felt too. She finally brought her gaze back up to his, and when he did, he finally breathed, "Thank you for your honesty and...for helping me."

Their eyes searched each other's for what seemed like an eternity, and then suddenly they both moved towards each other and kissed the other. Every coherent thought in Klaus's mind was completely gone as he felt her soft pink lips against his and her tiny but strong arms wrap around his shoulders. His hands went to her back, pulling her closer to him, and she quickly granted him access into her mouth and their kiss became deeper and passionate.

He didn't know where he ended or where she began, they melded together so naturally and effortlessly. It was only when he felt her one hand gently caress his cheek did he break away for barely a moment, and he found that she was just as breathless as he was and he murmured, "Holy shit."

She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, her pink lips a shade darker than they were before, and she quickly lifted up on her toes to close the distance between them again. He didn't know how long he stood there kissing her; it felt like an eternity.

"Hey, Klaus, we're ready down in the-oh!"

The amorous pair broke apart and Klaus turned to see Stefan entering the bathroom. The man stopped where he was when he saw the pair embracing and tried to hide the impish smile on his face.

Klaus looked back at the girl to see her blushing and covering her mouth with her free hand. He worried for a moment that she'd regret their kiss, but his worries disappeared as soon as he realized she was covering her mouth to hide a smile. He smiled down at her, and opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.

"I've...got to go," she said quickly, gathering her things again and scooping up her skirt with one hand to dash barefoot past Stefan out of the bathroom. Klaus watched her leave, but like a magnet, felt himself being pulled to her and soon he was following her out.

"You rat bastard," Stefan chortled.

"Hang on, mate," Klaus said, patting Stefan's shoulder as he dashed past him. Stefan turned to follow him.

"You ready to give your speech?"

Klaus rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's question. Of course all he cares about is if he's prepared or not; but that wasn't important. What was important was that he caught up to the mysterious and amazing blonde woman before she was gone for good.

"Hey!" Klaus called, running after the girl once he spotted her, nearly to the staircase leading downstairs to the lobby and ballroom. She turned back to him in surprise and the beautiful smile that completely mesmerized him spread across her lovely face. "Do I at least get your name?" he asked as he caught up to her and she smiled and opened her mouth to respond.

"Miss Forbes?" Klaus and the girl turned and saw two men who were undoubtedly security from their authoritative voices and body language; not to mention the radio earpieces and tuxedos they wore. She turned back to Klaus with a mischievous grin.

"Caroline," she said simply then leaned up and gave him a short, sweet but forceful peck on the lips. She pulled away and turned to leave but did a double take when she looked at him, and suddenly she reached out and took hold of his tie and pulled it a bit. Once she was satisfied that it was sufficiently loosened, she gestured with her hand at the tie and proclaimed, "There! That's better..." triumphantly before turning and dashing down the staircase. She laughed as she jumped down two at a time, easily evading the two security men that pursued her.

"What the hell was that?!" Stefan said, crossing to stand beside Klaus and watch security chase the beautiful girl out.

"I have no idea," Klaus replied honestly.

_Caroline. Caroline Forbes. _A unique, yet classically beautiful name for an equally unique and classically beautiful woman. Her light and wisdom was more refreshing than a cool summer breeze on a hot day, and her beauty nearly blinded him and made him question whether he'd understood the true meaning of the word until this very night.

"So you ready?"

Klaus turned back to look at his friend incredulously, but Stefan only gazed back at him with a knowing look. Klaus sighed and nodded his head and followed his sharply dressed friend down to the conference room to get ready for the speech.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, Congressman Klaus Mikaelson!" The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers and Klaus stepped out onto the stage and into the blinding spotlights. He smiled and waved to the crowd that was cheering and applauding for him. There was no feeling in the world like this one; standing behind the podium in the middle of the stage and having a room filled with people clamoring because of your sheer presence in it. It did more than make him happy, or even get him a little high off of the power it garnered him; it made him feel complete. He was truly at home being in front of a crowd.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" he said, thanking them for their gracious and energetic greeting.

"As you all are aware, I was born in the U.K. but when I was around 7 years old, my family defected and sought asylum here in the French Quarter after landing in Virginia. And I grew up not too far away from this very room over on Peters Street over by Woldenberg Park..."

The crowd interrupted him to applaud and cheer him, referring to his childhood home and growing up in New Orleans despite being born in another country.

"I love you, Klaus!" Some female voice in the back of the audience screamed when the crowd's applause died down. It was soon matched by a different female voice that called, "I love you more!"

"And I love you both," Klaus said with a devilish smirk and the crowd chuckled and applauded. Despite coming from an immigrant family, Klaus was always hailed for his charisma and magnetic personality that seemed to draw people in. His only major flaws were his quick rashness and anger, but he'd done what he could to manage those over the years.

"But the motto in my neighborhood was a simple one: it's not about the fight, it's about getting back up when you get knocked down. You're not a loser if you get back up. We may have been knocked down tonight my friends, but I am here to tell you that I'm not done fighting and I am getting back up!"

The crowd went crazy and began screaming, cheering and applauding all over again and Klaus smiled as he gazed out at the sea of faces. They were holding signs, wearing pins and hats, all bearing his name and campaign logo. They had volunteered for his campaign gone out to the polls to vote for him and all for one reason: they believed in him and trusted him.

It was then as he stared out into the sea of faces that he remembered one face that hadn't been afraid to show him that she felt sad and disappointed not _in_ him, but _for_ him. Although the faces smiled back at him, he could see the sadness lingering in some of their eyes. But he couldn't be mad at them for silently lying to him when he was lying to them. _She_ hadn't lied to him, and he suddenly found that he couldn't lie anymore.

"That's bullshit," he murmured quietly and the crowd stirred, wondering about his sudden change in attitude, but he raised his head back up and gazed out into the crowd. He took a deep breath as he pushed his notecards to the side.

"They never said that in my neighborhood. It's just one of those...inspirational phrases that had traction with the focus groups, so we stuck with it and kept using it, but it's bullshit."

The crowd continued to murmur and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stefan on the side stage boring his gaze into him, although campaign personnel and interns were hounding him; no doubt asking him what the hell Klaus was doing. Klaus did feel a little bad for taking Stefan by surprise, but he'd opened the floodgates and there was no stopping it now.

"You know, back in 1999, GQ Magazine did a cover story on me, the title was, 'Youngest Congressman Ever,' and since then, every story has tried to make sense of how I got to be here and how I got here as fast as I did. A word that they all kept using to describe me was, 'authentic,'" he started and when the crowd began to applaud him, he kept talking.

"See, but here's the thing..." he gazed down at his tie, and remembered Caroline tenderly caressing it and then yanking at it before she ran off. He smirked and looked back up at the crowd and shook it gently as he admitted, "This isn't even my tie!" There were a few murmurs and confused chuckles in the audience, so he decided to elaborate.

"This tie was especially selected for me by a group of specialists in Baton Rouge that chose it over 50 other ties that we tested. We tested _50 different ties_, and we learned a few things from the data: it's best if I stick to a red tie or a blue tie, but obviously I can make exceptions for special events, like when I have to make a concession speech and admit my epic failure," he said, referencing his blue tie with red and white stripes that he was wearing and the crowd chuckled.

"A yellow tie meant that I wasn't taking my situation seriously and I could at any moment pull my pants down again." The crowd laughed and there were more than a handful of catcalls and whistles. "Which I'm told some people wouldn't mind, and obviously there are people here that wouldn't." Klaus chuckled along with the crowd as the catcalls got louder.

"A silver tie meant that I had forgotten my roots...my shoes, you know the thing about my shoes? We associate shiny shoes with high priced lawyers and bankers. If you want to get a working man's vote, you've _got_ to scuff up your shoes, _however_ you can't scuff them up so much that you alienate the lawyers and bankers because _they're_ the ones paying for the data specialists in Baton Rouge!"

The crowd laughed at his honest confession of his use of political tactics, which both worked with and against common sense.

"'So what is the proper amount of scuffing?' you ask? You know we paid a consultant nearly $5,300 dollars-" he paused and turned back to look at Stefan backstage and asked him, "Was it $53 hundred, Stef?" He smirked when he saw his friend smile wryly at him and point at him while mouthing, 'You're an asshole,' before turning back to the crowd and continuing, "We paid a consultant $53 hundred dollars for a consultant to tell us," he reached down and untied one of his black dress shoes and held it up at eye level to show the crowd, "that _this_ is the most appropriate and ideal amount of scuffing."

The crowd murmured and chuckled and slowly began applauding as the cameras went crazy, the sound of clicking and the flashing of bulbs filling the air.

* * *

"Great speech, Congressman. You've got my vote in the next election!"

"Thank you, I appreciate that..." Klaus smiled as he shook the middle aged man's hand. He wore no campaign insignia and Klaus knew statistically he was more popular with the 18-30 age demographic, so it meant a lot to him that this baby boomer was seeking him out.

Klaus shook a few more hands and posed and took a few pictures before he was finally able to make his way out of the ballroom and down to the back service entrance where his team had a car waiting.

"That was some speech," Stefan said, keeping up with Klaus as they made their way to the car.

"Thanks, mate," Klaus said, half paying attention as he finally was able to take out his phone and open a web browser.

"Yeah, it was _some_ speech...not _my_ speech, but it was _a_ speech," Stefan said, and Klaus smirked at the passive aggressive tone he heard.

"You're just jealous because you didn't write it and it's the best speech I've ever given."

"Was it a decent speech? I'll give you decent, even with it's foul language and conversational tone...but 'the best speech'? Well..."

"'Electrifying,'" Klaus said, his eyes scanning the various major news sources that were reporting on his concession speech on his phone, " 'Down to earth and relatable,' 'Humble but strong,' 'Mikaelson is the obvious choice and frontrunner for the next senatorial election...'"

"Yeah yeah, well a speech like this is like lightening, don't expect it to strike twice," Stefan muttered as they approached the black town car.

"Coming from the man who wrote a speech with 'aspire,' 'inspire' and 'perspire' all in the same sentence," Klaus said. "Obviously we've found a shortage of words ending in '-spire,' haven't we, Mr. Salvatore?" He didn't bother looking at Stefan, knowing he must be wearing a sour expression at the mention of one of his lesser speeches and reopened the Google search he had started before his campaign manager threw a hissy fit.

_Caroline Forbes New Orleans_

The Google search first brought him to Tulane University's page for their Department of Theatre and Dance, which announced their 'new visiting Dance faculty, Caroline Forbes, former member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet; brought to New Orleans from L.A. by the newly formed Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre.'

"Hello?! Earth to Mr. Congressman?!"

"What?" Klaus looked up from his phone and saw Stefan's amused, yet exasperated face.

"Are you going to get in the damn car or not?!"

"What, are we strapping you to to the top of the car?"

"No, I have to finish closing up shop here, and you need to get your beauty sleep for your interviews tomorrow morning."

"Speak for yourself," Klaus sniggered, getting into the car, "we both know how your hair deflates if you don't get your beauty sleep." Stefan laughed mockingly.

"Yeah, screw you, jackass. I'll let you finish Google stalking the fugitive from the men's room," he said as he closed the door behind Klaus, not giving his friend the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.

Klaus snorted but turned back to his phone as the car slowly peeled away from the Roosevelt. His eyes skimmed the different links that gave him more information on the enigmatic blonde that had inspired 'the greatest speech of his career,' according to political commentators at NBC.

He learned that she was a 'graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, triple majoring in dance, theatre and journalism, and earned her M.F.A. in Dance at Sarah Lawrence College' and 'winner of the seventh season of _So You Think You Can Dance_.' She was wildly successful for someone so young, but she was obviously someone who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go and get it.

He watched YouTube video after YouTube video that had her name attached to it and was mesmerized. Not only was she wise beyond her years and absolutely stunning, she was a magnificent dancer that put every thought and emotion in her into her dance.

In interviews for the dance competition show, she described how her father had been killed when she was 17 years old and dance became her outlet for dealing with her grief. The artistic director of Complexions actually assisted her in choreographing a piece dedicated to her father's memory two years ago, and it was given much acclaim and praise by the artistic community.

He then learned that she was going to be appearing in Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre's upcoming piece, "Down the Rabbit Hole," based on Lewis Carroll's _Alice in Wonderland_. It was opening in less than a week, and Caroline was going to be frequently featured in the piece. He wondered if that was a roundabout way of saying she was portraying Alice, but he decided even if she was a tree, he only had one thing on his calendar for this weekend.

He tapped on the phone number listed for the dance company and pressed the phone to his ear and listened to the dial tone.

"Good evening, Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre, this is April speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello, April," Klaus started, "I'm calling to see if you have any more tickets left for your performance this weekend, the Alice in Wonderland show."

"Yes we do, sir. However, we are very nearly full, and the seats would be towards the back of our balcony, and I'll be honest, our theater is rather small."

"Thank you for the information, April. Would you mind terribly putting your manager on the line though, love?"

"Um, yes, just hold on one moment please."

Klaus heard the low beeping of a dial tone and waited for the call to transfer.

"Hello, this is Jenna Sommers, how may I help you?"

"Hello Ms. Sommers, I just spoke with your very helpful employee April, and she informed me that you're 'very nearly full' for your show that is opening this weekend."

"Yes sir, I'm very sorry, but this is the company's big debut of our new artist, Caroline Forbes, so the tickets have been selling like hotcakes."

"I'm not surprised," Klaus murmured, "then I suppose the balcony seats will have to do."

"Alright, I can process your transaction then, sir. How many tickets would you like?"

"Just one."

"Alright, and your last name, sir?"

"Mikaelson, M-I-K-A-"

"As in _Congressman_ Mikaelson...sir?"

"You've heard of me?" Klaus asked, smirking knowingly. "Fantastic."

"Have I heard of you? I...you...hold on one moment sir, let me see if I have some reserves in the orchestra."

"Thank you, love. Much obliged." Less than twenty seconds later, Jenna was back on the phone.

"Congressman Mikaelson?"

"You rang, love?" He smirked when he heard her giggle girlishly on the other end.

"Yes, well, I... So I opened up some of the reserve seats in Row C, so you're just off center in C 311, is that alright? If you'd like to be closer to the aisle, I can put you in 320 if you'd like!"

"C 311 sounds lovely, thank you, Ms. Sommers."

"Oh please, call me Jenna, and if you ever need anything at all, please just have them put you through to me."

"I will," he smiled. He could practically hear her twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes. "Oh I actually have one more favor, love."

"Anything, Congressman. What can I do for you?"

"Please keep my attendance low key if you would, there's something that I'd like to do..."

* * *

"Crew fifteen minutes to places, cast twenty-five to places, thank you!" The stage manager's voice filled the backstage area and Caroline glanced up from the mirror of her dressing room to look at the time. She turned back to the mirror and finished up the finishing touches on her eyeliner and lipstick and there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Miss Forbes, these are for you!" April said, holding up an arrangement of red roses and white flowers.

"Oh my gosh, they're gorgeous!" Caroline exclaimed, taking them from April and leaning in to smell them. "Thank you, April!"

"Break a leg tonight! I can't wait to see you perform!" The dark haired girl nodded respectfully and bowed out. Caroline gazed down at them before she realized that there was a small card attached to the vase that held the arrangement. She placed the flowers down on her makeup counter and carefully took the card off and opened the envelope.

The card had _Two Dancers on the Stage_ by Edgar Degas on the front, and Caroline smiled since it was one of her favorite paintings. Typically _The Ballet Class_ or _The Star_ were more commonly used Degas paintings, but this one had always been a favorite of hers. She opened the card and her eyes scanned the message.

_I've heard it said that "Great dancers are great because of their passion." _

_You've shown me that you're passionate about your friends and about life, _

_and I cannot wait to see that passion in your dancing. You're a revelation,_

_Caroline. I'm told it is bad luck to say "Good luck," so instead I will say,_

"_Break a leg," and pray that does not become a reality._

Caroline's brow furrowed as she flipped the card to look at the back and was even more perplexed, realizing that there was no name on the card.

"Hey, you almost ready?" Caroline glanced up and saw her new friend and fellow company member Bonnie standing in her doorway and tucking her top hat under her arm as she adjusted her fingerless lace gloves.

"Yeah, just give me one second," Caroline said, placing the card down and turning to take her apron down off of the hanger from the wall.

"Who sent you these? They're gorgeous!" Bonnie said, holding her top hat in one hand and touching the flowers gently.

"I know, right? I have no idea," Caroline said, tying the apron around her waist.

"Well whoever he is, he's got great taste in flowers. These are really thoughtful and unique."

"Yeah, they are nice...wait," Caroline pause, crossing back to her friend and the flowers, "what do you mean by 'unique'?"

"Well red roses are one thing, but the Stephanotis are a really nice touch."

"The Stefa-what-sis?"

"Stephanotis," Bonnie said, touching the white flowers. "They're tropical flowers, so they're typically hothouse flowers and a little pricey, but they're supposed to symbolize 'good luck,' so the combination of these and red roses is really considerate. Great thought and care went into this arrangement."

Caroline glanced down at the arrangement again, the nagging desire to know who the mysterious person was that sent her the flowers. But they had a show to do, and the mystery would just have to wait until later.

"That's...great, okay, let's go, I wanna go stretch and decompress backstage," Caroline said, ushering her friend, who was giving her a knowing smile, from her dressing room.

Even though she told herself to wait until later, the arrangement nagged at the back of her mind throughout the first act. That was, until she spotted the blonde hair and dimples in the third row just off center. She nearly dropped her teapot at the Unbirthday party as she completed her five turn pirouette before going into arabesque. Once she got over her initial shock, she suddenly found herself over performing to try and compensate for her stumbling...and to impress the dimples.

"What's up with you? Are you okay? Is it nerves?" Bonnie asked her during the intermission.

"No it's just...this guy I met the other day, I spotted him in the third row..."

"And so you're letting your feelings affect the way you dance?"

"I don't have feelings for him!" Caroline exclaimed defensively, but when Bonnie gave her a stern look, she sighed. "I mean...well, I don't know. But I had no idea he was going to be here."

"Yeah well, when your head is in the game, you're one of the best dancers in the country," Bonnie said sensibly. "So calm down, get focused, and just lose yourself in the dance, girl." She smiled at the troubled look that still rested on the blonde's face and gently squeezed her hand. "If he's not in love with you after your performance, then he's a cultureless monster." Caroline chuckled and nodded, wrapping her arm around the girl's waist as Bonnie did hers and they walked slowly to the green room to get some water before the second act began.

* * *

Caroline thanked the rest of her company members that were stopping by her dressing room to congratulate her on her debut, giving them a small smile. She would've been in higher spirits if the handsome and dimpled politician had come to congratulate her after the show. She'd looked everywhere for him, weaving in and out of the crowds of patrons who were more than happy to congratulate her, but he was nowhere to be found. She hung up her costume carefully back on its hanger and a light knocking at her door made her spin around quickly. To her disappointment, it wasn't Klaus.

"Hey, so some of us are going for a bite and drinks, wanna come?" Bonnie asked and Caroline gave her a warm smile.

"No, I'm tired, I think I'm just going to go home and curl up in my pajamas."

"Oh come on, Care, it's your opening night! You've got to celebrate it somehow!"

"Fine, I'll splurge and order takeout!" Caroline said, closing the door and locking it behind her. When she turned and saw Bonnie's incredulous face she sighed, "Honestly, Bonnie, I'm really exhausted and I just wanna stay in."

Bonnie gazed at her for a moment and when they turned to walk back towards the stairs and exit, she asked quietly.

"He didn't turn up, did he?"

Caroline didn't bother to look up at Bonnie to shake her head, she knew that her friend was stealthily sneaking glances at her face.

"I mean, after the flowers and the card and surprising me and not telling me he was going to be here, I expected...I don't know, more from him, I guess. Oh shoot! I forgot my flowers!" Caroline exclaimed, stopping where she stood and turning and looking back.

She turned back to Bonnie and quickly added, "Just go on without me, I don't want to make the others wait if I'm not even going! I'll call you later!" She gave the girl a quick hug before turning and lightly jogging back to her dressing room.

She unlocked the door quickly and grabbed the flower arrangement and locked the door again. She suddenly felt ten times more exhausted than she was before, and decided to be lazy and take the elevator up instead. She made her way down the long hallway of dressing rooms and as she turned the corner into the green room, she froze where she stood.

"I know it's not the ladies room, but I figured I'm just as out of place here as you are in the men's," he said, baring his dimples as he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back at him and slowly made her way over to the comfortable couch that he was perched on with his feet propped up on the coffee table where a bottle of champagne with two plastic flutes sat.

"Is this our thing?" She asked, as she slowly sat down next to him. "Champagne in strange places?"

"I don't know," he said, smirking as he sat up and began unwrapping and uncorking the champagne. "It can be...if you want." The bottle opened with the pop of the cork and he carefully poured the pale liquid into each flute.

Caroline smiled as she took a flute from him and she gazed up at him and realized he was waiting for her to do something, then realized he must be expecting her to make the toast as she did in the Roosevelt men's room. She thought for a moment and then held her glass up.

"To celebrating successes and epic failures," she said and with a quirk of his eyebrow, he tapped his glass against hers and they both drank.

"'Epic failure,' hmm?" he said with a smirk. "Interesting choice of words."

"Yeah well," Caroline said, refilling their glasses, "after I was done being a fugitive on the run, I got home and...I saw your speech." He looked up at her and saw her gazing at him the same way she had when she had that night. She'd gazed at him that way, both challenging him to tell her the truth but reassuring him that he could be honest with her.

"I don't know what to say," he said, searching her eyes, "something must have gotten into me...or someone."

Caroline gazed at him, her eyes as warm as the smile that graced her lovely face, and she slowly leaned in, closing the distance between them and pressed her lips to his.

She didn't know what the future held for them; he was a politician and she was a dancer, they were complete opposites. Yet somehow, they were the same in a strange way. She had no idea how they would make it work, but she was more than happy to find out.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this! I was just watching The Adjustment Bureau the other day and was overwhelmed with Klaroline feels... :) R&R! xo


	4. Meeting Mr July

_**When You Least Expect It:**_

**Meeting Mr. July**

_Homicide detective Caroline Forbes suddenly realizes, upon hearing fellow detective and ex-boyfriend Tyler Lockwood brag about his date with NY's Most Eligible Bachelorette #2, that she has not had any prospects in way too long. She goes to her friend, ME Stefan Salvatore, who has a penchant for setting her up with dates, and begs him to set her up with a great catch, and lucky for her, Stefan is practically "the adoptive brother" of an NYC firefighter that just happened to be "Mr. July." And everyone knows they save the hottest firefighters for the summer months..._

(Written by: a-little-blonde-distraction)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I have no life..." Caroline said as she marched through the doors of the morgue.

Stefan glanced up from his medical chart and made a face at his beautiful and neurotic best friend as the double doors swung closed behind her.

"No, Mr. Three Drunken Disorderlys and a Genital Piercing here, he had no life," he said, gesturing at the corpse on the slab between them with his pen, the slightest hint of judgement in his voice. "You," he said matter of factly, "on the other hand, have a job. It's just that coincidentally, that job _is_ your life."

"That's not much better than having no life," the blonde groaned, glancing down at the corpse and giving the deceased thirty something a sympathetic look.

"Enough with the pity party, Caroline. What's on your mind?" Stefan said, looking back to his chart and continuing with his paperwork. Although his tone and body language were dismissive, Caroline knew her friend better and she sighed before launching into the problems that were plaguing her.

"I just realized that all I do is work: I come in, I solve murders, I catch bad guys, then I go home to a clean, empty and quiet apartment..." Caroline said as she pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards, resting her arms, clad in a brown leather jacket, on the back of the chair as she spoke. "I don't want quiet, I want...fun."

"So obviously, you come to the most fun place in the city," Stefan replied, gesturing around at the morgue, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he smiled wryly, before making more notes and glancing at the subsequent papers on his clipboard.

"Well, I come to the person who's been trying his hardest to make me have fun by setting me up with random guys..."

"Okay first of all," Stefan finally stopped and put his pen in between the metal clip and the clipboard and raised his eyebrows, looking seriously at the blonde bearing a sheepish expression, "they're not 'random guys,' they're my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. And two, _you_ made me swear that I wouldn't try to set you up again with anyone else."

"Yeah well, now I'm making you swear that you won't let me be a miserable old spinster while you know plenty of primo men for me to date..."

"This might be a dumb question, but this doesn't have anything to do with Tyler snagging a date with _The Ledger_'s Second Most Eligible NY Bachelorette, Hayden, and waltzing around the squad room bragging till he was blue in the face, does it?"

"It's Hayley," Caroline corrected, her correction coming out more as a spat than a friendly adjustment, "and she wasn't Number Two, she was Number _Three_."

"Right. And you have no problem with your ex going out with a city-sanctioned hottie?"

"Not at all...just as long as _I_ have a _hotter_ date..." Caroline said with a nod of her head. Stefan shook his head and snorted, setting his clipboard down on the counter and leaning against it and crossing his arms.

"Wow... You can take the girl out of high school, but you can't take the high school out of the girl," Stefan murmured amusedly as he shook his head at Caroline.

"I hate when you say things like that," she groaned, shooting him a dirty look which Stefan just laughed off.

"You hate it because I know you better than probably anyone else, except for maybe Bonnie," the brunette laughed with a tilt of his head and a slight eye roll. Caroline hated to admit it, but he was more than right.

She and Stefan both started working for the NYPD around the same time and they had faced their demons together. But she knew that one of the things she and Stefan shared was a low tolerance for the particular brand of bullshit that Tyler Lockwood was infamous for doling out.

"Oh don't pretend like he wasn't being the most obnoxious, pompous ass that deserves to be one upped and fast. Even you heard about his date when you're all the way down here for Christ's sake..."

"Yeah well that's because I got the tox report back and had him come pick it up. You know he asked me if I had any plans tonight just so he could tell me about his date with Bachelorette #3. He could've been a little less obvious about it and let me finish my sentence before sharing the breaking news with me..."

"Jackass..." Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes. "And see that's exactly what I don't want: some young, hot guy that knows just how hot he is and uses it to his advantage then leaves you high and dry before jumping on the next piece of ass with big brown eyes and...big, fat puffy whore lips that walks past..."

"You're not giving me much to go off here, Care," Stefan said, a smile playing on the corners of his lips as he watched a million and one thoughts fly through his best friend's brain.

"I want worldliness and intelligence, romance and laughter, but I want...maturity. In buckets. And dimples. Oh, you know how I have a weakness for dimples..."

"That I do," Stefan smirked and he had a gleam in his eye as he reached into his back pocket to retrieve his cell phone.

"But hot... Worldly, intelligent, romantic, funny, and mature, but _hot_... like Ewan McGregor meets Jonathan Rhys Meyers hot..."

"Is 'accented' another quality he must possess? Because Ewan and Jonathan are both from motherland..." Stefan asked curiously as he scrolled through his phone, glancing up at her occasionally.

"Dude, I'm a red-blooded, American girl. When am I going to say 'No' to a hot guy with an accent?"

"Point taken," Stefan said before he stopped at one contact on his screen. "Okay, I'll think you'll like this one... He's an old friend of mine, older, mature, worldly and with an accent. He's practically my adoptive brother."

"Hm, well that sounds promising considering your other real brother is such a winner."

"Hey, cheap shot, that wasn't cool..."

"Sorry," she said, glancing away, "force of habit."

"Well if you're done bad mouthing Damon," Stefan said, giving Caroline a scolding look, but failing to hide his smile, "I think I've got the perfect candidate for you."

"Great! What's his name?"

"Klaus Mikaelson, he's-"

"Klaus? What kind of a name is that?! Ugh, I've never met a hot 'Klaus' in my life...it's like finding a hot 'Igor' or 'Vladimir'..."

"Woman, would you please let me finish?!"

"Sorry. Go on."

"I was going to say that Klaus is a _firefighter_. I tried to hook you up with him before but you were 'too busy' and then that inevitably lead to me swearing never to set you up with anyone ever again..."

"Hmm, a firefighter?" Caroline said, her interest piqued. "Is he cute?"

"Cute enough I guess to be July in the NYC Firemen calendar."

"July huh?" Caroline considered, and Stefan nodded, reading her approval as clear as a billboard on the highway. "Hm. They always save the hottest ones for the summer months..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know, but that's what Lexi and Bonnie tell me," Stefan said as he jotted Klaus's number on a piece of paper. He clicked his pen and folded the paper in half and held it out to Caroline, who was chewing on her bottom lip. "So do you want his number or not?"

Caroline stared at the paper for a minute before she snatched it out of Stefan's outstretched hand and scanned the name and number he'd written on it.

"Is April still a city health inspector?"

"Last time I heard, she was..."

"I know it's kinda late but maybe she can pull some strings."

"Probably. Now I've got you a date, if you want help picking out an outfit, sorry but you'll have to ask one of your female friends for help with that. I think I've done my share." Stefan picked up the clipboard he'd set down and crossed towards the walk in with his paperwork as Caroline flipped through her contacts. Her face lit up and soon brought her phone up to her ear.

"Thanks Stef! I owe you!"

"Yeah you do!" he called over his shoulder. Caroline listened to the dialtone for a while before she heard the click of the person answering the call.

"Hello?"

"April? Hey, it's Caroline..."

"Hi, Caroline. What's up?"

"I was hoping that you might be able to pull some strings for me. Does that chef at that restaurant on 65th Street still owe you that favor?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Klaus tipped the cabbie and strode towards the doors to the restaurant, and once he had the maitre'd in his sights, strode up to him confidently.

"Good evening sir, do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, actually my date made the reservation, 'Caroline Forbes'?"

"Excellent," the bespeckled man murmured, gazing at the reservation list and running his finger down the list of names. "We have not seated that table yet, sir, but would you like us to seat you now?"

"I'll wait, thank you," Klaus said, stepping back and turning away from the podium. Just as he was about to tuck his hands into his pockets, he glanced towards the doors both leading into and out of the restaurant and froze completely stunned.

A gorgeous blonde with mile long legs and bright blue eyes strode through the doors confidently in strappy stiletto heels, glancing around as she held onto her clutch purse. Klaus was gobsmacked as he let his gaze trail along the dazzling beauty. Her artfully curled blonde locks were pinned up into an elegant updo with a few tendrils loose and gracefully brushing the smooth skin of her shoulders, one of which was slightly obscured by her sexy black one shouldered dress.

The black fabric cascaded over the curves of her body enticingly, hinting at the perfection that was her body beneath the dress, but was still elegant and appropriate enough to wear into such an upscale establishment with it hitting about two inches above her knee. His gaze continued down her toned and lusciously long legs to her feet which were encased with the strappy heels with gold lattice detail that made her already sexy calves look even sexier. He thought he spotted what looked like a small tattoo on her right foot, and his interest was piqued even more, even though it had already skyrocketed in astronomical proportions after she made her entrance.

She was glancing around as if she were looking for someone, and when her gaze met his, he swore he saw her breath hitch just as his did. Even with her slight surprise, there was a fire in her eyes that drew him in, and he couldn't help but smirk excitedly as he slowly strode towards her. She took a deep breath and crossed to him and they met halfway and Klaus nearly crumbled as the warm, melodious alto of her voice filled his ears.

"Klaus Mikaelson?"

"The one and only," he smiled, his blue green eyes searching her bright blue ones. "And that would make you Caroline Forbes."

"The one and only," she echoed and he chuckled as he took her hand and brought it up to his lips.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Forbes," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Even though she blushed a lovely shade of pink, Caroline chuckled and rolled her eyes at Klaus, much to his dismay.

"Well aren't you a smooth operator. I've never seen someone pull such an antiquated gesture in real life..." Even though she'd rolled her eyes, her smile remained on her face and the playful look in her eyes was equivalent to the teasing tone in her voice. Klaus couldn't help but chuckle as his calculated move was not only pointed out, but laughed at.

"Can't blame a guy for trying to match elegance with elegance. When Stefan texted me and said that you were NYPD, I must admit I was expecting a little rougher around the edges."

"Don't worry, I've got my badge and gun on me if you try any funny business," she said, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.

"I promise to be on my best behavior," Klaus chuckled, gesturing towards the maitre d' and lightly placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked, "although if you'd brought handcuffs, I wouldn't be able to make any promises."

"Don't worry, I have those two. And don't let the dress fool you; even in heels, I can still take down a man twice my size," Caroline replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh I'm sure your strength is just as formidable as your beauty," Klaus said, nodding to the maitre d', who nodded back and led them into the dining room to their table. He heard Caroline scoff again, but Klaus did his best to recover as he pulled out her chair. "After all, NYPD doesn't allow just anyone to become a detective, especially homicide. I know I for one could never work homicide."

"You rush into burning buildings, I'm sure you could handle a few stiffs," Caroline said giving him a small smile and sizing him up as she sat and Klaus pushed in her chair for her.

"No, I could, I've seen my share of dead bodies. While it is difficult to deal with the dead, it's more the live ones that I meant," he said as he crossed to sit at the seat adjacent to her at their four top. "We do our best to make sure everyone makes it out, but sometimes we're not that lucky and being the bearer of bad news never gets any easier. You, on the other hand, are constantly telling next of kin what is perhaps the worst thing they will ever hear in their entire lives, and I can't imagine doing that all the time. It takes a pretty strong person to do that everyday."

She gazed back at him appreciatively and what he'd venture a guess to be intrigue, a small smile playing on her lips. Even though he knew he'd impressed her and more than likely won her over with his answer, he still had this sense of sadness about her and he resisted the urge to touch her hand. He didn't want to come on too strong too fast and he really liked her and wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he blew it with her for good.

"Thank you," she breathed, smiling at him. "And you're right, being the bearer of bad news never gets any easier. But someone has to do it, it comes with the job, and I'll do whatever it takes to help the family cope and get closure."

"Well said," Klaus murmured and when Caroline smiled back at him, he raised his empty wine glass. "To the uneasy jobs." Caroline glanced at his glass then back at him and raised her own and clinked it to his.

"Now how about we fill these glasses with something?" He smiled and Caroline heaved a sigh of relief.

"Good, because after the day I've had, I need a drink!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'd say that I can't believe you were a beauty queen, love, but after seeing how you walk in heels, I'm a believer..."

"I swear to you, I did the whole shebang: the hair, the makeup, the ridiculous dresses that I nearly tripped on and tumbled down the stairs, the dances-ugh!" Caroline said half laughing, resting her elbows on the table and letting her face fall into her hands.

"What's wrong with period dances?" Klaus said defensively, picking up the bottle of Vouvray and refilling Caroline's glass.

"They're just so... stiff and formal. I mean I'm not saying twerking is appropriate for a formal city tradition, but it wasn't like I didn't have enough to worry about with the shoes and the dress and not tripping and making a fool of myself. Then they expect me to gracefully and effortlessly dance an 18th century waltz?!"

"I know what you mean," Klaus said, refilling his own glass, "when we were younger, my siblings and I were forced to take dance lessons at our mother's behest. I think it was an attempt 'to civilize her hedonistic and barbaric offspring'..."

"Are those your mother's words?"

"No, my older brother Elijah's, and after years of therapy, he's probably right."

They both laughed, taking bites of their desserts and Caroline sighed.

"I'd love to be able to say, 'When would I ever need to know about 18th century period dances again?' but I actually had a case last year where an art history professor at NYU was murdered by her TA, who was helping her forge 18th century pieces. We caught the break in the case because I caught the TA's comment about pointe shoes the figure in the portrait was wearing. The piece was supposedly painted around 1726, but the first documented uses of pointe shoes came out of England in France between 1815 and 1820..."

"So there's no way that the artist would've depicted the figure in the painting wearing pointe shoes nearly 100 years before their first usage."

"Exactly," Caroline said triumphantly, taking a sip of her sparkling wine.

"Brilliant," Klaus murmured, gazing at Caroline appreciatively. "So you like art?"

"I like it enough," Caroline shrugged, setting her glass down. "I just don't know that much about it. I studied journalism in college, but switched to criminal justice after my dad was killed."

"I'm so sorry," Klaus said, reaching over and taking Caroline's hand. She smiled gratefully but waved his concern away with her free hand.

"It was a long time ago. It just made me realize that no one is better off without their parents. They never caught the guy who did it, so I know how much it sucks to get bad news and never get any good news..."

"It's the worst feeling in the world," Klaus murmured in agreement. After twirling his wine glass around on the table for a second, he looked back up and gazed back into Caroline's bright blue eyes and added, "We're the same, Caroline." Caroline felt her breath catch in her throat at the intense honesty in Klaus's eyes, and in a fleeting moment, she saw more than just morose sympathy flash across his face; she saw compassion and complete empathy.

But before she could ask him to explain what he meant, a familiar raucous laugh snapped her out of the moment and she tore her gaze away from Klaus's to search the restaurant for the owner of the laugh.

She finally found him in the corner, half a dozen tables between them, with Hayley laughing over emphatically at whatever lame joke Tyler must have told, and for some reason, Caroline felt herself sink down in her chair and cover her face with her hand.

"Oh fucker," she muttered pathetically.

"What's wrong, love?" Klaus murmured curiously and worriedly.

"Nothing, it's just..." Caroline glanced up at him and her bullshit excuse for her weird behavior flew from her mind as she saw Klaus's expression. She took a deep breath and admitted, "Okay, you see that guy over there? Dark hair and eyes, with the brunette?"

Klaus snuck a furtive glance over in Tyler and Hayley's direction before asking, "The one in the bad suit with the puffy lipped girl?" with a disdainful quirk of his eyebrow. Caroline snorted and grinned, loving that even without meeting them, he held the same contempt for them as she did.

"Yeah, he's my ex...and he's a detective too and we both work for the same precinct..."

"...So you have to see him everyday," Klaus supplied for her and when Caroline cringed and nodded sheepishly. Klaus glanced back in their direction and studied them before murmuring, "She looks familiar for some reason..."

"I'm sure she would. She's one of _The Ledger_'s Most Eligible NY Bachelorettes," Caroline scoffed, lowering her hand and taking a large swig from her wine glass.

"Number three," Klaus murmured with a nod, and Caroline's hand gripped the glass tighter. She studied Klaus's face, which was still turned towards Tyler and his date, and her inability to read his placid expression, coupled with the fact that he knew exactly what Hayley's ranking was, made Caroline nervous. But just as she started to chew on her lip, Klaus made a sound that was somewhere between a low chuckle and a snort and turned back to Caroline.

"That bronze medal was generous. I'm surprised she even made top ten..." He took a sip from his wine glass as his eyes flitted back towards the other couple amusedly. She gazed at him in surprise for a while before chuckling.

"Yeah, that's what I thought..."

"Well what's the problem then, love?" he asked, turning back towards her, gazing at her seriously. Caroline glanced at the other couple and back at him and her brow furrowed.

"I don't understand."

"So your ex is here with some random girl, who is frankly lacking and of inferior beauty, whereas you are a brilliant and beautiful woman with an amazing career and a beautiful future ahead of you, whether that includes a young, dashing firefighter or not..."

Caroline laughed brightly at Klaus's declaration, but when her laughter simmered down to a murmur, she saw even with a smile plastered on his face, he looked fiercely convicted to what he'd just said. Her eyes danced around his face before she chuckled and tilted her head to the side.

"Just to be clear, Mr. Smooth Talker: I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well that's why I like you," he murmured in reply, and Caroline couldn't help but smirk at his answer, which she hated to admit was a very good one in her book. Over the years of interrogations and interviews with witnesses and suspects, she'd gained a knack for reading people, and she got better vibes from this guy than she'd ever had from any other guy, including Tyler.

Thinking of the jackass in question, Caroline glanced over in Tyler's direction to see him staring back at her, a mixture of surprise and anger on his face. Caroline smirked and looked back at Klaus, who gave her no reason to think he'd taken his gaze off of her face the entire time.

"A certain ex is watching us and looking pretty green if you ask me," Caroline murmured with a smile.

"Good. He deserves to see you happy without him," Klaus replied, taking her hand and bringing it up towards his lips. Caroline expected him to kiss her knuckles as he had when they met before being seated, but at the last second he turned her hand and exposed her wrist. "While I'm thinking about it, would you care to explain this swallow tattoo, and possibly the one that I believe is on the top of your right foot?"

Caroline laughed and blushed, flipping her hair embarrassedly.

"I have a feeling that this curiosity is due to some ink that you possess yourself, am I right?"

"Very good detective..."

"I also have a hunch that you have more than two small tattoos like mine," she added, a coy, playful smile on her lips.

"Interesting hunch, Miss Forbes."

"That's Detective Forbes to you..."

"My apologies, _Detective Forbes_," Klaus added with a smirk. "But that is a very interesting hunch you have. Would you be willing to bet that I have more than two tattoos?"

"I'm an officer of the courts. What would that say about my character if I were to engage in such an illegal endeavor?" Caroline feigned horror and indignation.

"That you play by the rules when the rules apply, and you take risks when necessary," he challenged. Caroline's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed as she considered his statement, scanning his body and sharp suit, and then resisted the urge to laugh and roll her eyes when Klaus smirked triumphantly at her.

"Well then I guess then it would depend on what we're betting on, wouldn't it?" Caroline replied, quirking her eyebrow and smirking. "Then I can determine if the risk is worth the reward."

"Well said," Klaus nodded, then tapped his finger on his chin pretending to think before looking back at her. "Okay: if you're right, I give you a kiss." Caroline tried to subtly take a breath to calm her racing heart as Klaus gazed at her with both playfulness and intense passion.

"And if you're right?"

"You give me a kiss." Now Caroline couldn't hold back her scoff and eye rolling and Klaus chuckled along with her.

"Sounds like we're getting towards the same end result there, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Okay, how about we up the ante then?" he murmured. "If you're right, I give you a kiss and take you to where I work, and if I'm right, you give me a kiss and take me to where you work."

"Hmm," Caroline mimicked his motion and tapped her finger on her chin, pretending to think, then looked at him. "I think you have a bet, sir."

Klaus smiled wolfishly at her before he added, "Alright, what's your bet then, love?"

Caroline gazed at him for a while, then slowly let her eyes trail over his form, clad in a perfectly fitted suit, and tried to imagine what lie beneath it. After a minute of tracing his body with her eyes, she studied his face for a moment, giving his poker face credit, before she smirked confidently.

"You have three tattoos."

Klaus quirked an eyebrow, a smile playing on the corners of his lips as she stared him down confidently.

"You sound pretty sure of that, Detective. You know the bet was only either two tattoos or more than two. You're only making it more difficult for yourself by being so specific."

"Or winning the bet, as I'm sure I have." Klaus chuckled loving her unwavering confidence and he glanced down at the tablecloth before glancing back up at her. She was still looking at him resolutely, a satisfied smile on her face. "So, Mr. Mikaelson? Fess up; how many tattoos?"

"...I have three tattoos." He laughed when Caroline celebrated, cheering for herself, but her laughter faded when she saw the heated look in his eyes. "And I owe you a kiss."

Caroline felt her heart skip a beat and Klaus slowly moved towards her. His face drew nearer and nearer, and with his lips inches from hers, Caroline let her eyelids slide closed and she awaited the feeling of his lips on hers.

Instead, at the last moment, she felt him raise her wrist back up and press a kiss to the swallow on her wrist. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw the same heated gaze focused on her eyes even with his lips pressed to her skin. Caroline shivered as goosebumps covered her arms. She could only imagine the face she was making as Klaus's lips slowly pulled away from her wrist and spread into a dimpled smile.

"So? A swallow and a star?" he said, gazing at her as if she were the most fascinating mystery that he'd love nothing better than to solve slowly and continuously. Caroline chuckled nervously, flipping her hair over her shoulder and staring at her other hand in her lap.

"Yeah, a star for my rebellious streak trying to impress a bad boy ex-boyfriend; he got Latin and I got what I thought was less trite than a butterfly..."

Klaus chuckled and gently rubbed his thumb over the ink on her wrist and she glanced up at the tattoo and his hand that was giving it attention.

"And the swallow matches the one on my friend's wrist. Teri and I got them after she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease..."

"I'm sorry," Klaus murmured. Caroline smiled at him gratefully and she was sad as she felt his hand slip hers back into her lap and pull away. "Is she alright?"

"She manages," Caroline said quietly. "Even with antibiotics, she still has some symptoms...but I'm just glad it's not worse."

"Me too," he murmured and they gazed softly at each other before Klaus cleared his throat. "Well if you've had your fill of desserts, I'd love to show you the firehouse."

"Sounds good to me," she smiled, and Klaus helped her stand and they walked arm and arm towards the exit, neither noticing or caring about the dark haired man staring at them angrily or jealously as they left.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You'll have to thank your friend on my behalf for getting us into that restaurant, what was her name? June?"

Caroline chuckled as she wrapped her arm more tightly around Klaus's muscular one as they strode down Amsterdam Avenue. They'd taken a cab from the restaurant, but after sitting in traffic so close to Firehouse Engine 80 & Ladder 23, Caroline suggested they walk the last block and a half.

"April," she corrected with a smile. "And yeah, it was pretty good wasn't it?"

"Very," Klaus murmured, smiling as he felt Caroline's grip on his arm. "Although I don't know how many more courses I could've handled, honestly. I was one plate away from unbuttoning the top button of my pants!" Caroline laughed brightly, squeezing his arm as Klaus joined her in laughter.

"I know what you mean; this dress doesn't really have enough room to accommodate a fine dining feast."

At the mention of the dress, Klaus couldn't help but glance over and admire her form in the little black number. He had no idea what she was talking about or why she was being so self-deprecating over her body image when all the dress did was highlight her already glorious and enticing features. He cleared his throat though, doing his best to push his less honorable thoughts to the side and maintain his teasing but gentlemanly decorum.

"Doesn't seem like that dress has room to accommodate much of anything," he teased. Picking up on his sarcasm, Caroline batted her eyelashes coquettishly at him, and feigned shock and hurt.

"Are you saying you don't like my dress?!"

"I never said anything about not liking it, love," Klaus corrected her quickly, smiling at her knowingly. "I actually like it far too much on you, I'm afraid..."

"Good," Caroline smiled, "I'm glad. That was the exact reaction I wanted."

"Well you accomplished it famously, sweetheart," he grinned at her and Caroline returned his dimpled smile. "Ah, here we are: welcome to Engine 80 & Ladder 23, Caroline."

Caroline turned and smiled, taking in the large firehouse to their left, surprised that they were there already. She'd been so wrapped up in their conversation she didn't realize how fast they were walking, or perhaps how close they already were to the firehouse.

"Wow," she breathed, stepping into the enormous space and she released Klaus's arm and began trailing a hand along one of the fire trucks. "I have to admit, the siren on a cop car is fun and all, but nothing makes an entrance like a firetruck."

"Yeah, well it's all fun until you're stuck in traffic in one of these big things..." Klaus said, tapping the side of the same truck with his hand. "People tend to be a little more considerate of police cars than they do firetrucks and ambulances."

"God I know! It's my biggest pet peeve!" Caroline turning and looking at him with big eyes. "It's like, you'd be pretty pissed if you were dying and they said the ambulance was stuck in traffic because some asshole wouldn't get out of the way for it to rush to you!"

"Or if your building was burning down and the fire spread because the firetruck had to take the long way around to avoid traffic."

"Exactly! Ugh," Caroline shook her head. Her fingers traced along the axe that was attached to the side of the rescue vehicle and glanced at Klaus. "So how'd you become a fireman here? Did the U.K. have a surplus on the fire brigade?" She smiled when Klaus blushed and showed his dimples that she was becoming more and more infatuated with by the second.

"Well, my family moved here when I was 7, so I have dual citizenship both here and in the U.K. and well, I guess my accent stuck after growing up around my parents and older siblings. I actually studied art in school but I worked as an EMT to help pay for school."

"Stefan was an EMT too, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's actually how we met. I...actually am partly to blame for Stefan's addiction."

"What?" Caroline's brow furrowed and Klaus took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well see, I did some drugs recreationally back then, but nothing too hardcore, mostly just pot but, unfortunately, some of my art school friends got Stefan into the worse stuff and convinced him to smuggle stuff out of ERs, but by the time I realized how bad he was, it was nearly too late."

"Were you the one that checked him into rehab?"

"Damon was," Klaus clarified, "but I got the dealers and my ex-mates off his back and made sure he stayed clean. Stefan was worth more than all of those blokes combined, and I nearly lost him thanks to my foolish and oblivious behavior."

"But you were still there for him in his hour of need," Caroline said, crossing back to Klaus and taking his hand. "That's what friends do, Klaus." He merely gave her a sad smile, but Caroline kept his hand in hers and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you could be there for him, especially considering I was not in the right place to help him then..."

He glanced up at her curiously but didn't press her to elaborate, and that in and of itself made Caroline want to explain herself to him. "I, uh, got the call from my partner Bonnie when I was chasing down a lead on my dad's murder. My mom was totally against me becoming a cop for that very reason; she knew I'd never sleep if I had police resources at my disposal to catch my father's killer and bring him to justice. I was so consumed that I had to be told that one of my best friends nearly OD'd and was checked into rehab." Caroline looked down guiltily at the floor, but she suddenly felt her chin being lifted and as she brought her eyes up, she saw Klaus gazing at her intently as his gentle grip on her chin brought her eyes back to his.

"In all the years that Stefan and I have been friends, I've only heard the best things about you. How good a friend you are, how you're always there for him, how considerate and kind you are, how much fun he has when he's with you; you're a good friend, Caroline. And we all forget to see our friends sometimes."

Caroline blinked back tears that threatened to tumble down her face as Klaus gently rubbed her chin with his thumb. She took a deep breath and bit her lip and smiled appreciatively at him and Klaus's dimples appeared and made her smile even more. But his brow furrowed gently when her gaze moved past him and her face changed and he watched her light up like the Fourth of July.

"Oh my god...CAN I TRY THAT?!"

Klaus turned confusedly and chuckled when he looked at the fireman's pole just past him. He turned back to her with an impish expression and a quirked eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you were 27, not 7. I do apologize."

"Oh don't be such a killjoy, Mr. I Can Slide Down a Firehouse Pole Whenever I Want Firefighter," Caroline smirked and made a face at him. "I seriously debated becoming a firefighter just so I could use one of these all the time..."

"Really?"

"Yeah...well, when I was like 10. But then I saw a Christiane Amanpour special and wanted to be a big famous journalist, traveling the world," Caroline smiled as she spun around, holding the pole with one hand and letting her head fall back like a small child on a swing set.

"There's still time," he murmured, his eyes dancing around her face, memorizing her blissful smiling face.

"Oh how I wish," she murmured, her face losing a bit of it's light and becoming more pensive. Klaus found himself stepping towards her, drawn to the light that was fast fading and he spoke quickly to see it revived.

"I'll take you." Caroline snorted in response but kept spinning around and Klaus quickly added, "Wherever you want. Paris, Rome...Tokyo?" He threw out the names of major cities of the world in an attempt to get a reaction out of her and she didn't disappoint him and soon she was laughing, with a big beautiful smile on her face.

"Madrid? Beijing? Moscow? Amsterdam?" she glanced over at him as she kept spinning. "I've always wanted to see the tulips and windmills."

"Don't forget the little Dutch girls with wooden shoes," Klaus teased and Caroline laughed brightly. She sighed but smiled as she paused and gazed up to see that the fireman's pole reached as far as the roof of the building.

"Yeah. If I had a dollar for every dream I've had, I'd be a billionaire," she breathed, gazing wistfully up and a soft smile on her face, then slowly she began spinning around the slender piece of metal.

Klaus smiled seeing her so blithe and carefree and he realized couldn't deny her this one little bit of joy even if he wanted to, and he surely didn't.

"Come on," he suddenly said, taking her free hand and gently pulling her towards the staircase. Caroline followed behind him unquestioningly until they reached the second floor and he turned to see her face once again as bright and shining as the sun.

"Wait. Seriously? You're seriously going to let me do this?!"

"Consider it a dollar towards the jar of completed dreams, love," he replied, tugging her towards the pole that created a cutout in both the ceiling and floor.

"Oh my god..." Caroline murmured, her eyes wide and trained on the fireman's pole as she and Klaus approached it. Klaus stopped to give Caroline the room to walk past him to slide down, but when she didn't, he glanced over at her and saw her face frozen on the fireman's pole.

"Go on, love."

"Okay."

"...You're not moving."

"I'm aware of that."

"Would you like some help with that?"

"No thanks."

"Caroline-"

"I don't know what I'm more terrified of," she cut him off, her gaze never straying from the pole, "the prospect of actually doing something I've wanted to do my whole life or the prospect of falling and breaking every bone in my body, possibly even falling to my death."

Klaus chuckled but then he squeezed her hand when she didn't chuckle with him.

"You know my sister has a saying..."

"Really, what does your sister say?"

"First rule of truly living: do the thing you're most afraid of."

Caroline finally tore her eyes away from the pole and looked at Klaus to see a sweet and supportive smile on both his lips and in his eyes. However, she remained still and Klaus knew that she'd need a little more encouragement.

"Here, I'll show you." Klaus slowly stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it back down back to the ground floor. He reached out and grabbed a hold of the pole and jumped the short distance and wrapped his legs around the metal. "See? I'm not going anywhere because I'm holding myself in place with my feet and with my hands, although, this would be much easier without dress shoes, I must say." He grinned when he heard her finally chuckle and crack a smile. "Then, just loosen your grip a bit, love. The looser your grip, the faster you'll fall, but as long as your limbs are wrapped around, you won't fall to your death."

"You promise?" Caroline said, leaning over to gaze down as Klaus slowly slid down and eventually planted two feet on the ground.

"I promise," he called lightly up to her, smiling at her encouraging. "And I'd sooner catch you and break an arm than let you fall and hurt yourself."

"Awww," Caroline said, holding onto the pole and gazing down at Klaus. "I'd say that's sweet, but I also think it was a veiled reference to my fatness." Klaus chuckled and ran a hand down his face.

"Okay, maybe not a break, but with gravity speeding up your descent, I'd at least sprain a wrist, don't you think?"

"That's better," Caroline murmured contentedly. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth before glancing down at her feet and chuckling. "Well, I bet if it's difficult in dress shoes, it's probably difficult in Louboutins."

"That's probably a safe bet," Klaus replied as she leaned down and unbuckled the thin black ankle straps. She carefully tossed each shoe down to Klaus, who placed them on the ground near the firetruck, along with her clutch which she also threw down.

"Okay, I'm going to do it," Caroline announced, standing back up and grabbing the pole. She leaned nearly on her tiptoes with both feet still planted on the solid floor. Her nervous gaze down to Klaus suddenly shifted into a serious one. "You better not look up my skirt."

"No, wouldn't dream of it, love," Klaus quickly replied with a devilish smile. Caroline shot him an agitated look before looking back up at the metal pole.

"Alright, here goes nothing." She took a deep breath and then quickly jumped and clung tightly to the pole as if her life depended on it, her eyes squeezed shut just as tightly.

"Brilliant, love!" Klaus called up to her with a big smile, and Caroline slowly slid one eye open, then the next and looked around before carefully leaning over and looking down at him. "Now just loosen your grip a tiny bit and you'll be sliding down in no time!"

Hearing Klaus's voice gave her the confidence she needed and soon she felt herself slowly sliding down as her grip loosened little by little. Before she knew it, she felt her bare feet on the ground. She looked at Klaus, who was wearing the widest, most shit-eating grin she'd ever seen, and she squealed and let go of the metal pole to fling her arms around his neck.

"I DID IT! I DID IT!"

"Detective Caroline Forbes, you have officially slid down the fireman's pole in a firehouse."

Caroline squealed and before Klaus could even laugh, she was yanking him towards the stairs.

"LET'S GO AGAIN!" she squealed like a child, dragging a laughing Klaus behind her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After nearly ten trips up the stairs, down the fireman's pole and back again, Caroline and Klaus rested by the firetruck. They both laughed but did their best to catch their breath since Caroline refused to have her fun without him and continually dragged him upstairs with her each and every time.

"Oh my god, my calves are killing me," Caroline gasped but she smiled like a child on Christmas morning. "But that was so worth it!"

"Yes, I can't say that I'm accustomed to using that more than once in such a short amount of time. But I guess thanks for the cardio?" The two laughed and Klaus slowly made his way over to a small fridge close to the door that lead to the station inside, retrieving two bottles of beer, and returned to where Caroline sat, leaning back against the fire truck.

She leaned up as he moved to sit down though and took one of the bottles from his hand and pressed the top against the edge of the step at the bottom of the truck. She hit the bottle top with her hand and popped the bottle cap off, handing it to Klaus, and motioning for the other still closed bottle.

Klaus handed it to her and sat down and took a swig of his as she popped open the other and followed suit. She sighed contentedly before glancing down at their legs, both outstretched in front of each of them, and nudging her barefoot against his dress sock covered foot.

"Thanks for this. I had an inkling, but I really didn't know how badly I needed this until just now."

"Needed what?"

Caroline gazed at him for a moment before smiling simply and replying, "To have fun." Klaus grinned a dimpled smile back at her.

"My pleasure." He held up his bottle and added, "To less work and more play," as he clinked his bottle against hers. She smiled and sipped from hers and they settled into comfortable silence before Caroline felt the question bubbling forth and tumbling from her lips.

"So why did you become a firefighter?" She watched the bottle freeze midway to Klaus's lips and immediately worried she was pushing him too fast too soon. "I mean, it's only the first date, you don't have to tell me anything. I was just wondering since I told you about my dad and you said that we're the same. But I mean I don't normally bring up that kind of heavy information on a first date; I just wanted you to hear it from me first in case you went home and Googled me..." Caroline took a deep breath and paused in her babbling as Klaus took her hand in his and brought it to rest on his leg and squeezed it.

"Thank you for your honesty, Caroline. You don't know how much I appreciate having someone that I can be is as open and candid with as you are with me."

Caroline smiled and squeezed his hand supportively and waited for him to tell her his story in his own time. Klaus ran his free hand through his hair and sighed before dragging it down his face.

"When I was in uni studying art, I sometimes let my kid brother Henrik hang out with me while I was working. He idolized me and, feeling insecure about myself due to our father's lovely upbringing, I just soaked it up like sponge. And one weekend, Henrik was staying with me at my flat with me and a couple of my mates and... I fell asleep with a cigarette in my hand in a flat filled with highly flammable paints and paintings. Suffice it to say, Henrik didn't make it out."

"Oh no," Caroline murmured, and Klaus sadly rolled up his sleeve further to show Caroline burn scars starting mid forearm and no doubt reaching his shoulder.

"I made it out, but not completely unscathed. They're a painful reminder of the damage I caused and the life I took, and like you, the moment where my life changed and I had a new career on the horizon..."

Klaus moved to roll his sleeve back down, but Caroline halted his hands and gently began tracing his burn scars lightly with her fingertips. She could hear Klaus's emotional and labored breathing, so she kept her gaze on his arm, knowing he probably wanted to get a handle on his emotions before he suddenly added, his voice wryly despondent.

"And the cherry on top of causing the fire that took my brother's life? At the hospital, while I was in the ICU, I learned that I'm O+ blood type..."

"Is that...bad?" Caroline asked, confused at what Klaus was trying to get at.

"It is when your psychotic and violent _'father'_ is a B-..." Klaus said, gazing at Caroline, knowing full well that after serving on the force for as long as she had and dealing with crime scenes and dead bodies, she'd know what he meant.

"So you're father isn't really your biological father."

"No, my biological father is some bloke with O type blood, just like my mother, whose O blood type was recessive to Mikael's B- blood. The blood that all of his biological children inherited; unlike me, the bastard child, the constant reminder of his wife's affair. At least it finally made sense as to why Mikael inexplicably hated me without reason or provocation the majority of my life," Klaus said, finishing off his beer.

Caroline gazed at him, both in empathy and amazement, and she couldn't believe that she had ever told Stefan not to introduce her to this sensitive and honorable man. He had a dark past, no darker than her own, and just like her, he was constantly battling his demons and trying to make good come from a horrible tragedy. Her fingers continued to dance lightly along his skin as she murmured her pensive thoughts aloud.

"We all have our scars, Klaus..." She finally brought her gaze up to his, and he was gazing at her with an intrigued and compassionate expression. She took a deep breath before releasing his arm and reaching up to take a hold of the single shoulder on her dress on the right side of her body. She held the fabric gently and moved it aside to reveal a healed scar in the shape of a small circle on her right shoulder.

"I got this after I started digging into my father's case for the millionth time after putting it aside. A sniper tried to take me out, but I moved just after he'd been spotted, and it was a lodged in between my shoulder bone, my clavicle and my ribcage."

"Ouch," Klaus murmured, his fingers tracing lightly over her scar and Caroline had to bite back the trembling moan that threatened to escape her lips at the feeling of Klaus's gentle but rough, warm hands on her skin. He grinned and suddenly sat up and began unbuttoning his white dress shirt.

"You wanna see a scar?" he said as he pulled the shirt off his shoulders and tossed it to the side, sitting beside her in his white tank top and black dress pants, and a tattoo of what seemed to be a feather and birds on his left arm and spreading across his pec.

Before she could answer or comment on the tattoo, he was lifting up his tank top, and turning to the side to reveal nasty scars on the sides of his lower abdomen. "2006: Falling through a collapsing floor in a office structure."

Caroline did her best to ignore the beautiful, perfectly sculpted and toned perfection that was Klaus's abdomen, even with it's scars, but she found herself failing rapidly. But seeing the impish and challenging grin on his face, she decided to distract herself by trying to one up his scars. She hiked up the skirt of her dress just a bit to reveal fully healed slashes on her thigh.

"2008: Wrestling with a Colombian drug lord's hitman wielding a machete."

"2010: Saving a kitten from a burning basement," Klaus said, indicating a burn in the side of his right hand.

"2010: Retrieving a friend's spayed kitten from the vet's office," Caroline added, indicating the faint white lines of old scratch marks on the top of her right hand. Klaus stood while Caroline talked and rolled up his pant leg.

"2011: Metal shard lodged in my leg during a gas explosion." He said, indignantly pointing to the crescent shaped scar on his calf muscle. Caroline followed suit, standing and thrusting her unscratched hand with another circular scar in his face.

"2009: Pencil lodged in my hand during a hostage negotiation," She challenged, quirking her eyebrow at him.

"Bar fight with my younger brother," Klaus said, pointing to the scar on his eyebrow that Kol's beer bottle to the head caused.

"Bar fight with my best friend's younger brother," Caroline said, indicating the scarring on her knuckles from when she punched Jeremy Gilbert's face after his attempts at drunkenly hitting on her had finally pushed her too far.

Klaus chuckled at the proud smile on Caroline's face. It didn't surprise him that she was someone who stood up for herself even to people she knew and cared about, like her best friend's brother. He took her hand to inspect the scars before kissing them tenderly, his heated gaze boring into hers and he thought he felt her tremble as he held her hand.

"Well it seems that I've met my match," he murmured and smirked knowingly. He gazed at Caroline and he opened his mouth to add some other seductive witticism to his previous statement, but suddenly her lips were on his and he was completely floored. She held her lips to his for a moment and when she pulled back, she looked just as surprised as he felt.

"_Oh boy, now you've done it, Caroline,_"She thought to herself, staring back at Klaus's shocked and slack-jawed expression. "_This is what you do, this is why you're a lonely, pathetic, single workaholic at almost 30: you misread the signs and mistake innocent friendliness for flirting and attraction and you throw yourself at him and make a fucking fool of yourself_..."

"I'm sorry, that was really stupid of me," she immediately apologized, crouching down to scoop up her shoes and clutch purse off the floor and planning her quick escape. But just as she stood up and turned to give another quick apology and dash off and hail a cab and get the hell out of dodge, suddenly Klaus's lips were back on hers; but this time, it wasn't Caroline making the move.

Caroline swallowed her gasp as Klaus's strong hands gripped her arms and pulled her closer to his body and she felt herself melt into his arms. She was powerless to stop how her body was reacting and soon her shoes and purse fell to the ground, forgotten again, as she brought her hands up to press them against Klaus's muscular chest.

At the feeling of Caroline's small, smooth hands gently resting against the fabric of his tank top, her fingertips barely brushing against his skin exposed on his neck, Klaus moved his hands down to her waist, holding her tight and pulling her even closer. Caroline instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck, immediately deepening the kiss, and soon his tongue was languidly and painstakingly showing her what she could expect from him in other physical areas. Caroline would've fallen to the floor, her knees giving out, had she not had her arms wrapped around Klaus and had his grip on her waist kept her firmly where she stood.

Klaus savored the feeling and sensations of Caroline's lips and tongue, biting back a groan as best as he could as thoughts of her skilled tongue on other parts of his body. However, he found himself unable to bite a growl back when suddenly felt Caroline's fingers bury themselves in his curls and tug slightly. It exemplified one of the many things that he loved about Caroline that drove him completely mad: she had the sweetest smile on the most angelically beautiful face, but she had edge and dark side that was completely unique and completely insatiable and completely Caroline.

Klaus couldn't control his hands, that seemed to have minds of their own, and soon found them running themselves over Caroline's luscious, and perfectly full bottom. He didn't know why he expected her to pull away and slap him hard across the face; but for whatever reason, it was the same one that made him surprised when she suddenly pressed herself flush against his body. Another growl ripped out of his throat as he felt her pressing their lower bodies together, feeling himself harden at their lower extremities nearness.

He almost began to question if Caroline was as infatuated with him as he was with her when her arms released his neck, but soon he felt her hands gathering up his tank top hem and he knew what she was doing and more importantly, what she wanted. He pulled his lips from hers for just a moment for them to pull the shirt up and over his head and he smiled as Caroline tossed it aside before grabbing his face and pulling him in for a kiss again. He gripped the fabric of her dress as her hands glided down across his chest before trailing enticingly and maddeningly across his abdominals towards the waist of his pants.

He felt the overwhelming urge to touch her skin in turn, and he ran his hands over her dress, trying his damnedest to figure out how to get the fabric out of his way. He pushed the dress up but found it gathering and stopping around Caroline's hips and he had no luck feeling a zipper or buttons anywhere. Before he could agonize over the Rubik's Cube of a dress she was in, Caroline chuckled as if reading his mind and she stepped back for a moment in order to unbuckle the clasp on her shoulder, the dress falling from her body swiftly and she stepped out of it to promptly to continue kissing him.

He gladly kissed her back, but soon he pulled away again and he saw confusion ghost over Caroline's face before he caught her grinning when his gaze lowered to take in her undressed state. Caroline smiled, glad to know that even though her lingerie hadn't been chosen with the forethought of it being seen, it was nonetheless pleasing to the man that was currently scanning her body with his lascivious gaze.

Her black Calvin Klein strapless bra pushed her girls up and together, giving her cleavage to be proud of, and her matching panties made her feel both curvy and leggy. The look of lustful and erotic admiration on Klaus's face told her that he was pleased with the ensemble.

His heated gaze returned to hers, the predatory and unbridled look of passion in his eyes both terrifying her and exciting her. He slowly moved back to her, his body moving as lithely as a panther or tiger, and his seeking hands reached out and caressed her curves lightly but purposefully. Caroline sighed and murmured, reaching for his hands and guiding them to her breasts, where she wanted to feel his touch the most. As he tantalizingly and teasingly caressed them, she reached behind herself and unhooked the bra, the garment falling to the ground, forgotten and discarded next to her dress.

Her lips found his quickly as his hands palmed her breasts, tenderly rolling his thumbs over her hardened nipples. She gasped as his mouth tore away from her mouth to trail hot, open mouthed kisses down her jaw and neck, drawing closer and closer to what his hands were amorously and eagerly stimulating, and frantically began to make work of the belt wrapped around his waist and barring her from touching him just as intimately.

Caroline impatiently unbuckled Klaus's belt and would've yanked it clean out of his pant loops had she not been busy unbuttoning and unzipping his fly to bury her hand into his pants. Klaus's lips had found hers again, but as her hand wrapped around his burgeoning erection, he broke his mouth away from hers and something between a growl and a grunt slipped past his lips as he pressed his forehead to hers.

Just as he was about to gasp her name, Caroline unexpectedly grabbed his pants and boxer briefs with both hands and yanked them down to his ankles and just as quickly, glancing down at his manhood, stiff and erect for her, and back up at him with wicked and excited smile.

"Do you have a...?" she murmured breathlessly.

"Yes," Klaus gasped, glancing around before quickly reaching for his suit jacket and retrieving his wallet from the inside pocket.

Caroline watched him with a smile as she slid her panties down her legs, stepping out of them quick as a flash, as Klaus unwrapped the condom and slipped it on. She wrapped a hand around his neck and reached up to kiss him again and his hands held her waist again.

As soon as Klaus felt Caroline rising up onto her tiptoes, he wrapped his hands around her rear and pulled her up and he nearly died when she wrapped her legs around, astounded by both the instinctual way they and their bodies responded to one another and by the feeling of her glorious warm wetness so close to his member.

As if she were reading his mind, Caroline loosened her legs' grip around his waist and began grinding herself against him, her velvety lips gliding along his length, making him groan and dig his fingers into the soft flesh of her hips. She held onto his neck and shoulders tightly and lifted her hips, trying her best to nudge his tip into her. Taking her cue, Klaus steadied her against him quickly yet gently pulled her down onto himself, both of them exhaling in relief.

Hearing his relieved breath, Caroline grabbed a hold of his face, kissing him intently before grinding on him, sighing and murmuring contentedly as his hardness titillated all the right nerves and pleasure points inside her. He quickly placed a kiss to her forehead before wrapping his arms underneath her thighs and lower region and hoisting her up until he was barely in her at the tip.

But soon, Klaus's arm workout began as he flexed his thick, brawny firefighter muscles to hoist Caroline up and down. She'd held onto his neck and shoulders for support, but Klaus had muscles to spare he was so perfectly and more than adequately ripped as Caroline had noticed and, as of now, experienced.

Caroline broke her lips away from Klaus's to throw her head back in ecstasy as he thrusted into her as swift and sure as anything. He didn't stop after her first orgasm, which happened easily and quickly as Caroline reveled in the glorious feeling of Klaus inside her. She also reveled in his physique as she watched the muscles in his arms, which were more akin to sizeable tree trunks than appendages, ripple as he held her up and moved her up and down his sizeable length.

As she ran her hands over his gloriously ripped body, she began feeling a second orgasm tugging at her. She then became aware of the strain Klaus was going through holding her up, but he did his best not to show it. Caroline eyed the firetruck just past where they were positioned before kissing Klaus again.

"Turn around," She commanded, and Klaus looked pleasantly shocked at her giving him an order, and he obligingly turned for her, facing away from the truck. She suddenly surprised him though by releasing her feet from around his waist and settling them on either side of Klaus's legs and he soon realized, with a barely even noticeable bend in his legs, Caroline was able to rest her feet against the bottom rung on the back of the truck. It gave her the ability to take part and take the strain off of Klaus, but also to control the levels and varying rhythms of their thrusts.

Once the thrusts commenced again, both realized that Caroline had made the right move; she took hold of Klaus's face with one hand and a piece of truck apparatus in the other and pushed herself more forcefully upon him. Her lusty gasps were met by his approving groans, and soon the sound of skin slapping was added into their erotic and carnal score.

Holding onto the truck and resting her feet on it freed Klaus up to lavish her body with kisses and caresses he would not have been able to administer had he been the only one holding her up as he had before, and Caroline was more than happy to let her head fall back. Her motion gave him greater access to her neck and breasts, her pert nipples begging him to lick them, and he quickly began devouring one rosy nipple while his other hand stimulated the other, varying between gently palming and squeezing her breast and pinching and tweaking her nipple.

The sensations sent a shockwave throughout Caroline's body and she began to feel her release building and ready to crash over her at any moment. Her thighs closed and clenched around his muscular torso tightly and, as she felt herself dangling over the precipice of losing herself again, she buried her face into Klaus's shoulder, kissing and licking the feather and birds scattered across his skin which had begun to collect a thin sheen of salty sweat during their tawdry escapade.

Feeling Caroline's lips and tongue on his skin was enough to drive Klaus up the wall, but knowing that they were tracing the ink on his skin and remembering she herself knew how it felt to have memories and emotions permanently embedded into her skin sent him off the edge. He growled and held Caroline's rear tightly with both hands, pulling her at an angle onto him and triggering her climax. Her muscles clenched around his manhood, Klaus threw his head back as a roar bubbled up from deep in his chest and ripped out of his throat, Caroline's tightness coaxing his own release out of him.

They both remained where they were panting for who knows how long-neither of them certainly knew-but soon Caroline's grasp weakly fell from the firetruck apparatus to Klaus's shoulder. Klaus grinned as he felt her hand slowly make its way up to his hair, burying her long, pale digits in his soft but sweaty curls. His grin fell though as he felt her lips making their way up from his tattoo across his shoulder to his neck before ascending to his jaw and finally stopping at his earlobe, which she took in her mouth with a lightly teasing bite.

"Love, I'd make a comment about the dangers of playing with fire..." he started, becoming aroused all over again with him still buried deep within her, but he heard Caroline chuckle before she cut him off and added.

"...But seeing as how we're in a firehouse, there's no better place to play with fire," she crooned, smiling at him and taking hold of his face with both hands and kissing him fiercely.

Klaus growled with a smile as she attacked him again, the hand that wasn't holding her to his body, insuring that he didn't leave her tight warmth, snaking up to bury itself in her blonde mane. Their tongues battled for a few moments before Klaus reluctantly tore his mouth from hers, gasping as she continued to devour his skin with hot open mouthed kisses.

"Sweetheart, as much as I'd love to ravish you again, we might not be lucky enough to keep another tryst quite as private considering the boys might have to respond to an emergency."

It was only then that Caroline truly realized that she was buck naked, in an open fire house, with a hunky firefighter still buried inside her.

"Oh god, yes, I'm sorry!" Caroline immediately dismounted him and she hurriedly reached for her panties and bra, her brow furrowing as she clenched her eyes together in embarrassment. Klaus's chuckling didn't help to alleviate her embarrassment, and when he turned to retrieve his own underwear and pants, she took the opportunity to smack her palm to her forehead.

"Uh... Just so you know, I uh, don't do this all the time," Caroline began as she fastened her bra and reached for her dress. "I don't do random hook ups and I don't have sex on the first date typically, so I don't want you to think I'm that kind of girl," she added, stepping into her dress and pulling it over her hips.

"I don't-" Klaus started as he pulled his pants on, but Caroline talked over top of him, seemingly unaware that he'd even begun to speak.

"It's just that it's been a really long time, I broke up with Tyler almost six months ago, but I was faithful to him and that was pretty much the last time I've had sex...which now makes me sound pathetic, so I can't tell which is worse: me being an easy skank on the first date or me being a needy horndog on the first date," Caroline babbled, fastening her dress as Klaus pulled his tank top over his head.

He quickly took her face in his hands to silence her and smiled as his gesture accomplished exactly what he wanted and Caroline fell completely silent.

"Caroline, I think that you're just as brilliant and amazing and sexy and wonderful as I did at the restaurant and I would still think you're brilliant, sexy and wonderful had this not happened. I'm genuinely wondering how I've gone on this long without someone like you in my life...but not even someone like you, but _you_." He gently brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear as he gazed at her in appreciative wonder. "I've never had such a natural or instant connection with anyone in my entire existence."

Caroline smiled at him, wrapping her hands around his wrists and sighing.

"Neither have I...it's fucking terrifying."

Klaus laughed, pecking her lips before turning and picking up the dress shirt he'd abandoned early on and shaking it out.

"What are you so afraid of, love?"

"You! I'm afraid of...you!" Caroline emotionally and haughtily replied, gesturing up and down his torso with her outstretched hands. He chuckled before slipping his arms into his dress shirt and beginning on its front buttons. He looked back up at her and sniggered at the indignant expression on her face.

"It is not funny," she said, but she still reached forward to help him with his buttons and he smirked.

"It's a little bit funny," Klaus murmured, taking Caroline's assistance as the opportunity to glance over her, enjoying her lovely flushed skin and the wild and untamed quality her curls had taken on due to their delightful and impromptu romp. "Something tells me that you long to have those perfect feathers ruffled..."

Caroline looked back up to see Klaus gazing down at her intensely, and she wondered how she could be so influenced by simply this man's gaze. But she took comfort in knowing that just as easily as he seemed to read and understand her, she did him. He gazed down at her and she saw unadulterated passion and more than that, true interest. The look in Klaus's eyes told her that he'd be enraptured and enchanted with her in this way twenty years from this very moment; that he'd look at her with the same fresh and discerning eyes each and every day. And that made her smile.

Maybe he was right; she might be a cop, but even good guys like a bad boy every now and again. Had to be the allure of darkness, she supposed.

Her grin made him smirk at her, and she caught the devilish and insatiable look in his eye, and she turned her head before he had the opportunity to devour her lips with his again. They instead met her cheek, but Klaus still lavished her cheek and jaw with his lips and tongue and Caroline laughed and shoved him away.

"Yeah well," she laughed, pointing to his left shoulder, "you'd know about ruffling feathers, now wouldn't you?" she added as her fingertip resting against the fabric that was obscuring the incriminating tattoo. Klaus chuckled as he slipped on his jacket and reached for his tie, shoving it into his pocket while Caroline grabbed her clutch and slipped her Louboutins back on her feet.

"I might, and that's just one of the things you'll have to learn about me," he murmured, waiting for her to be finished buckling the straps of her shoes before pulling her up for a quick kiss. Caroline hummed contentedly as Klaus gently and sweetly kissed her and she soon broke away and took his hand, striding towards the open bay doors to the street.

"As in the many things you'll have to learn about me," she said confidently, turning back to him and biting her lip with a smile.

"I do enjoy a good challenge, love," he grinned and Caroline's sparkling laughter was music to his ears.

"Be careful what you wish for," she said brightly as she brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled for a cab. Klaus laughed and as soon as she paused at the curb, he pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Might I ask where we're going, love?" he chuckled as she waved at the cab before turning back to him.

"My place," she said simply as if it were obvious. "As much as I know you'd love to see me parading around in one of your huge NYFD shirts, I'd much prefer my own pajamas and sheets, no offense."

"None taken," Klaus chuckled. He pecked her lips again then adding, "So much for the sleeping together on the first date worry, then eh?" as the cab slowed to a stop in front of them.

"Are you kidding?" Caroline said, her voice teasingly and mockingly shocked. "How often does a sweet, kind, intelligent, smoking hot firefighter waltz into my life. Not to mention the best sex I've probably ever had...ever!" She grinned devilishly at him, returning his kiss before opening the yellow car door. "Besides, I have some 1,000 count thread sheets that my dad's boyfriend sent me that you might want to take a closer look at."

She pecked his nose before quickly stepping into the cab, leaving Klaus gaping at the curb. His shock soon wore off and the naughtiest expression quickly spread across his face.

"Now that you mention it, I also vaguely remember something about a willingness to use handcuffs earlier in the evening?" he added as he climbed in after her and soon the cab was slowly pulling away and driving off into the night, the streetlights casting dim light on the streets that people claimed never slept. It didn't seem that there would be much sleep for a NYC police officer and a NYFD firefighter tonight either.


End file.
